Dance With Me
by AriesDanger24
Summary: Tony needs to learn how to dance and he knows Steve would be the only one up to the job. Steve is apprehensive, but goes along with it. However, the dancing lessons becomes a connection between the two men and now the feeling of dancing with the ever confident Tony won't leave Steve's mind. (Yaoi)
1. Chapter 1: Can You Dance?

**Aryes: Hey guys~ Hope you like this 1st chapter I made! I ship Stony and I was reading a manga called, "10 Dance" so I kinda saw these two having this sort of interaction! I hop you enjoy the first chapter~! XD**

 **WARNING: THIS CONTAINS YAOI (MALE X MALE) AKA STONY LOVE~**

 **Disclaimer;: I don't own AVENGERS! :) If I did there would be more strong women! X)**

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Chapter 1: "Steve, Teach Me To Waltz"

It was just another day for Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America. He had been getting along rather well for a near 100 year leap into the future, especially since he was living in the most technologically advanced pent house every designed by man. Yes, he thinking about Tony's home, now known more as the Avengers Base/home. He was indeed living there along with Black Widow when she wasn't on a mission, Thor when he wasn't at Jane's house, Jarvis who was always there but not actually human, Hulk when he wasn't doing charitable research in a different country, and Tony when he wasn't locked up in a room somewhere driving himself mad. The only ones that actually lived there full-time was Steve and Jarvis so it was rather lonely in the Stark suite most of the time. The blonde made himself dinner and always made an extra helping or two if anyone came back late, usually it would be eaten by the next day.

Sadly, this was the lonely life Steve Rogers led, but he was thankful for everyday of it. Especially when he started fully understanding what technology could accomplish, the things he saw now were astounding! He secretly was glad he had been frozen in a way, it wasn't all that bad despite what he had lost. The only thing that haunted him now were dreams of the past or the plain terror of reliving his years in the army. Despite being a hero, Captain America had also seen his comrades fall before him and in front of him. Luckily, those thoughts were far and in between as Steve learned more about the wonders of technology. Perhaps that was what made him sleep more peacefully at night, he didn't need to worry at night in paranoia because he knew Jarvis would wake him the moment anything life threatening or otherwise was happening. There was a certain comfort that came from living in Stark's abode, the peaceful atmosphere of normality, even though he was surrounded by technology at its greatest.

This morning started no different, Steve sat at the counter of the kitchen with a mug full of a light brown mixture that identified as coffee. A small quiet smile appeared on the blonde's face as he stared into the small comfort he had in this world that did not change. Coffee. The one comfort of his old life that had followed him to the future as he swirled the liquid in the cup lightly in a habitual circling motion. A habit that had been created by his nerve wracking teenage years, the mesmerizing motion reminding him that no matter how much his body changed, his mind and imperfect habits had stayed. He felt his shoulders relax as he felt time pass him by, Steve was always astounded at the amount of comfort he felt in Tony Stark's home. There was no immediate danger and something almost normal about the place that allowed Captain America to relax, something he had never been able to fully do in any other place.

He let out a deep content sigh and let his mind wander without a barricade to bar it. The small smile from earlier grew slightly as he thought a bit more darkly, the blonde's mind watching as his useless habits he had retained make the cup swirl a bit faster in the cup to dissipate the amass of bubbles surrounding the edge of the mug, he was an imperfect creation, a flawed product even. There was something funny about the thought,though the light he saw it in was a lot darker than usual, the blonde admits. He always thought of himself as flawed, even his mother had agreed with him. His own father hadn't even given his son a second look after seeing how strange he was and Steve knew it all too well.

Suddenly, the blonde felt his whole body shake from the thought, a small laugh boiling over as he continued to look at his own reflection in the coffee. His laugh was buoyant and unusually happy from the thought that his mother and father were so wrong. When he had turned 16 he had run off with Bucky to the big cities, and Bucky being understanding of his situation had a great idea. "To join the army! To make a difference that no one could ignore!" Bucky would say and Steve would reply, "Yeah, let's make the world a better place! Though I fail to see how a couple of idiots like us could accomplish that!" To anyone else, their words might have seemed very fickle, but to Bucky and Steve, they knew that the other was very serious about joining. The blonde felt a sharp pang in his chest as his mind walked through the delight of old fond memories...especially ones with-

"I am sorry Captain Rogers, but Mr. Stark would like a word with you in his office. I apologized if I scared you. Are you alright?" the voice of Jarvis had made Steve Rogers jump in his seat, the cup that was in his hand moments earlier now laid against the marble counter top and the blonde thanked his lucky stars it was not broken, the last thing he needed today was Tony getting angry about him breaking things. The Captain looked up to the ceiling and spoke to Jarvis, "No you are alright, you just startled me. I am fine. Can you tell him I will be there in 5 minutes, I need to clean up this spill." There was a silence as the pale man began looking for a towel of some sort to soak up the mess. His eyes fell upon a red towel and in a minute Steve had cleaned up the mess and put away the fallen cup, washed, dried and put away in one of the cabinets.

Then, with quite a bit of guidance from Jarvis, Steve made it to Tony's real office. It surprised the blonde as he walked into the large room, it was large, circular and was filled with pure sunlight from the walls that were made purely from windows. The office was beautiful and so warm, not painstakingly so, but enough to warm a room in the middle of cold early spring weather. Steve felt his legs move towards the windows, his whole body wishing to gaze out it and look to see if he could see a full 180 of the sky. He was no more than 20 feet away before Tony's voice boomed over a balcony within the room, "So Cap, how do you like my office?" The blonde turned himself away from the windows to see the smug playboy Tony Stark leaning over a railing from a second floor, the man's smug grin telling Steve that he already knew what the blonde thought but wanted verbal praise upon his space.

Despite not wanting to give Tony a bigger ego, Steve couldn't help but voice his thoughts about the room, "It's amazing, but I would imagine that in the summer in this room would be really hot." The brunette gave a swish of his hand into the air and nodded, "Yeah, summer's a real bitch in this room-"

"Language!" Steve cut in automatically but soon regretted it when the brunette gave him a defeated look, "Really Cap, language? I thought we were over this? I cuss too fucking much to care!" Steve made a sour face as he was tempted to warn the man again, but he thought better of it. After all, he was living in this man's house for free, so he should at least respect the man's rule. The blonde watched as Tony walked down the stairs with a cup in his hands and small bags under his eyes, giving the man a much more rugged look. The more that Steve observed the brunette he realized that Tony looked very tired, well more so than usual. "Tony, are you okay?" Steve asked lightly and the other man gave him a puzzled look as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "I got exactly 14 hours of sleep Cap, I'd say I am doing fan-fucking-tastic!" Tony said with a prideful tone and once again Steve had to hold his tongue from commenting.

"Have you eaten in the last 24 hours?" asked Steve cautiously, knowing that the answer would probably be the wrong one, but he was surprised as he watched the brunette smirk again in a way Steve found utterly annoying. "Yep, I had some of whatever you made last night, I think you made mac'n cheese casserole of some kind. It was pretty good, I have to say, how very American of you to make Mac'n Cheese." Tony taunted and Steve took no humor, but simply stood a little more confused then when he came in. "Jarvis said that you wanted to talk to me about something," the blonde said and the brunette smiled and sat on his desk and stared at his fingers for a moment before speaking, "Do you know how to dance the waltz?" The blonde looked at the brunette with his eyebrows scrunched up and and replied slowly, a little suspicious now, "I'm okay at it. what about it?" The genius looked up at him and said, "Well, I got into this fight with Pepper and let's just say that she said I couldn't dance so I kinda told her that I'd learn the waltz in a week and show her I can be a gentleman!"

The pale hero's eyebrow twitched slightly and he turned his head to hide his smile from Tony, unlike Tony, he was not rude enough to laugh in front of another, so a smile he could bear. Then he thought for a moment then the blonde asked, "Why aren't you hiring a tutor or seducing some star to give you lessons?" This part made the brunette look sheepish as he sat in his office chair facing away from the pale man as he said, "Well, I sorta already told her I knew how to waltz...So any dancing instructors would be on my taxes, which Pepper does every month. I also can't get anyone else to do it without drawing media attention, so that practically eliminates every person outside the Avengers base. You are from the time where ballroom dancing was the norm so I naturally assumed that you would have some experience with it." Tony pointed out, Steve understood that those were valid points. The blonde man knew he couldn't even begin to understand the complex creature that was Tony.

"It's not good to lie to her, the waltz is not as easy as you think," said Steve with a warning evident in his voice. The blonde's mind raced back to his younger days when his aunt taught him to waltz, it had taken him a whole month to get the basics, but Steve had to admit, his aunt knew how to teach dancing. For Steve, dancing the waltz had become as simple as breathing and the steps came to him naturally. "Yeah, I get that. I may not know how to waltz, but I can tango like nothing you've seen before!" Tony boasted with a large smile as he swerved like a child in his chair and Steve then asked rather curiously, "How long did that take?" Tony stopped spinning for a moment before smirking as he spoke, "A week." The look of shock must have been easily seen on the blonde's face, because Tony burst out laughing.

"Stop laughing!" Steve said as he felt a flush of heat rise from embarrassment, his heart easily heard pounding in his ears as the laughter continued. "I..can't! The look on your face!" Tony sputtered out as a bit more laughter followed, but Captain America let it be and waited for the sound to fade. "I wasn't lying, I did learn it in a week. How long did it take you to learn the waltz?" the tan man asked, his eyes flickering over to Steve's to watch for a reaction most likely. "A month, but i was 11 and extremely awkward since I was smaller than everyone else." the blonde noted monotonely and it elicited a smile from the brunette. Tony scratched his small bearding lightly and said with a small chuckle, "oh yeah, that's right. I keep forgetting you actually were somewhat normal before the army experiment." Steve felt a little jab at his heart from the statement, the thought of being flawed showed up again in his mind, diverting his thoughts for a moment before coming back to reality. "Yeah," Steve said, his voice a little more reminiscent than it should have been.

If Tony had noticed the change in tone, her hadn't let on he did, which was a relief to the pale man as he stood up, "So, what you are basically saying is that you want me to teach you how to waltz in one week?"Tony gave a smug smile and looked at the Captain with a sly look in his eyes that always spelled a challenge, "I won't need a week, I bet I could get it down in a day!" Steve just looked at him and said, "I give it a full 2 days before you quit, because if I am teaching you, you will wish you had never lied to Pepper." The brunette looked at Steve with a look that the blonde couldn't begin to understand as he heard Tony speak, "We'll see about that, so when do we start Captain?" 'Good question', thought Steve, but then he remembered how his aunt had first taught him. First, she had danced with a man in the studio to show him vaguely what the stances and dance should look and feel like.

"Jarvis, is Ms. Romanov in the building now?" Steve asked, ignoring the strange look he got from the tanner man as he listened for the answer, "Yes, she is currently in her bedroom. Would you like me to give her a message?" Steve smiled, technology was so amazing, "Yes, can you ask her to meet me in the ballroom in 30 minutes, please give me back her answer." There was a silence and the blonde looked over to the brunette and explained, "Well, the first thing that you must understand is that my aunt taught me to ballroom dance, so I will use the same methods as she did to me, which means you are going to be sore everyday this week so no other plans, got it? That is my offer, if I train you, I train you right." Tony stared at him, somewhat dumbfounded by him, but he responded plainly, "Yeah, I get it. I already planned to work hard so I told Jarvis to push all meetings till next week."

Steve paused, "You can do that? Won't that put you out of work if you disrespect your advertisers like that?" Tony laughed, "Yeah right, those guys want me more than I need them so they will wait for a week. so why do we need Cat lady in the ballroom?"Steve said nothing for a moment before starting towards the door, leaving Tony sputtering after him out the door, "Hey, Capsicle! Rogers! You didn't answer my question!" Captain Rogers gave a sweet smile behind as he spoke, his mind wandering back to the moment when he had first seen his aunt dance in front of him almost magically. "You'll be there too Tony, go up the balcony and just watch quietly, that's all. Trust me, you'll enjoy it."Tony paused in the hallway and just stared at the taller man but Steve ignored it and kept walking even as he heard the brunette holler down the hallway, "That makes me wonder even more!"

Twenty minutes later, Captain Steve Rogers walked into the ballroom of the Stark estate, he himself wearing a white suit with a blue tie that matched his eyes. The room was wide and had beautiful hardwood flooring, the walls were a plain white color that matched the long vertical windows that let in an array of sunshine, making the room one of Steve's favorite places in the whole Stark estate. It was a room full of natural light and that wasn't even including when he turned on the lights themselves. The whole room seemed to suddenly illuminate almost heavenly, the floor sparkled from the pure unfiltered light almost begged to be used. "So Rogers, why the invite to the ballroom? Are we going dancing perhaps?" Agent Romanov's voice echoed across the large room and Steve was delighted to see her for the first time in ages, she looked relatively the same as usual which made Steve smile. It was nice to have something or someone not change, it was comforting to know that time didn't always change everything.

"Actually yeah, I wanted to ask you something." Steve started and he watched as the red head's eyebrow lurched to one side, the blonde interpreting it as intrigued. Steve continued very politely, hoping that the woman would agree to his request, "Well, I wanted to ask you if you wouldn't mind a simple waltz with me. I assume that you know how to waltz being a very intelligent and culturally diverse woman. I would like to see if I can still do it or not, I mean you don't have to but it's helpful to dance with a partner and-" A small hand was thrown up in a stop signal, Steve's voice cut off as Black Widow spoke, "I know how to waltz and I will agree if you tell me a tidbit of classified information from time to time. I like to know what's going on during missions with you."

Instantly, Steve nodded, his eyes sheepishly looking around the room, mainly on the balcony to see if he could see a flash of dark brown hair, but there was none in sight. "Yes, I wouldn't take too much time hopefully. I just want to see if I can still dance like I used to before all this," Steve gestured to his whole self before continuing, "got changed." He looked back up to see understanding full brown eyes, there was a twinge of another emotion, but she hid it well behind her facade. "I hope you can dance okay even though I don't look the part." Steve blushed from embarrassment as he sputtered, "No, it's my fault. I completely overdressed for this. I was just so excited...it's a habit." the blonde finished lamely and Black Widow chuckled as she walked in her black boots, a grey open jacket with a red tank top along with a pair of dark jeans. She was stunning as always and a joy to work with, reliable, resourceful and trustworthy, everything a good partner was. He had no romantic feelings for her though. She was more like a sister he was to protect, and in all honesty, Steve would be a little terrified to have Agent Romanov as his lover, plus she had Bruce Banner.

"Jarvis, do you have the music I picked out for the waltz ready?" asked Steve and Jarvis replied with a simple yes. The music began playing and just as Steve guessed, before he knew it he had become one with the music. The blonde man's body moved with no necessary instructions as he held her hand in his, outstretched and away, his lower body close to hers, their backs both arched like a bow as their feet practically floated with ease. Each movement was gentle, soft, and nostalgic, the sweet past of remembering his aunt when she danced, this was the feeling. The tall blonde man felt on cloud 9 as he danced with her, it was a strange feeling as though they were in the sky and every turn was a new gust of wind to carry them. Above he saw a small flash of dark brown and eyes of dark mahogany follow him with a strange light to them. The light in Tony's eyes reminded Steve of his first time watching the elegant dance, he gave a large smile almost thoughtlessly and once again fell back into the motions, wanting to impress his new student.

Sadly, the dance did not last forever, as the music died down so did they. Every cell in Steve's body thrummed with vibrant life, the longing to dance again was like a drug on his body. His aunt had always said that he could have been a dancer if he didn't know what to do with his life. His smile was still broad on his face as he look down at Romanov and thanked her for the dance. "That was fun, you were amazing. Didn't know you could dance like that." she said with a sly look of a rare emotion, surprise. In a way, Steve felt a little elation for eliciting such a rare emotion from the usually apathetic Agent Romanov.

He gave a small smile and said, "Thank you, it was fun to dance with you. You were an exceptional choice of woman to dance with." Black Widow gave a playful glare as she turned to walk back to the depths of the Stark mansion from whence she came. "I'll ignore the 'exceptional' sexism comment and take it as a compliment. See you at dinner time." She said offhandedly and the blonde man gave a warm smile her way, even though she didn't see it, he could tell she already knew it was there. She shut the large door behind her as she left, then he heard the sound of a slow clapping coming from the balcony above.

"Well Cap, you sure know how to motivate people, next time I have a speech for the Technology Movement of the Future I think I will just let you do an interpretive dance number by the microphone while singing the 'Star Spangled Banner'." Tony said, his face almost a mix between leering and mocking him, either way Steve found it unamusing. "Fuck you, Tony-" Steve started, but the brown haired menace cut him off for a moment to say one word, "language', but Steve continued regardless with only a scowl to signify that he heard it, "-you promised to go with my way of teaching. The first thing I had to do to learn was watch the proper way to do things, a way to visualize their hands, their stances, their steps, the flow, the rhythm, everything." Tony gave the comment a bit of a shocked look but then he smiled again. "so you want me to visualize you?" Tony said and Steve paused, then he fully understood the brown haired male's pun.

The blonde felt his face flush and it became redder the longer Tony laughed as Steve tried to talk his way out of it, so embarrassing! "What? You said it not-" "Alright, alright, visualize the dance and how it was danced. It will help you when- would you please stop laughing Tony!" The other man was clutching his abdomen and trying hard to pull it together but the brown haired male couldn't do it. "What is so funny?!" the pale man asked with anger and confusion evident in his voice. The joke was over and Tony was still laughing! "Sorry," Tony said lightly, but it was not heartfelt, "Your face is so red, you look so hilarious!" Another round of laughter continued and Steve felt his ears become heated as he turned to walk away.

"Fine, you can learn to dance on your own." huffed Steve and with a few strides he was out of the room with the sound of laughter behind him. After a while in his room, Steve calmed down and felt only a minor irritation arise when the name Tony Stark came up anywhere. "Mr. Rogers," Jarvis spoke and Steve jumped at the sound but slowly went back to relax when it was just Jarvis, "Yes?" "Mr. Stark wants me to give you his apologies at his behavior this afternoon and request that you still assist him in learning to waltz." the response made Steve purse his lips in more than slight aggravation. It was anger flaring in him and with an angered voice he said, "Well, please tell him this for me Jarvis. Tell him if he's so sorry he should come down stairs and apologize to my face. Then, i'll think about it." There was a pause in the air and Steve wondered if Jarvis had gone to give the message, but then the electronic voice spoke again, "Would you like me to tell him your emotional status as well?" The blonde gave a smirk at the AI's great suggestion, "Yes, that would be great, and thank you so much for earlier today. It was good to dance again with someone while having music."

"Mr. Rogers, what does it feel like dancing?" Steve paused at the odd question, usually Jarvis did not ask questions. Steve sat for a moment and thought, "um, well dancing is..." There was a silence as the hero thought and then memories of past flooded back to him, things that made dancing so amazing. "When you dance, sometimes you feel like your flying, like every move you make sends you a little higher, every motion your making is perfection, I guess you can say it gives a sense of peace and yet you feel a high from it. The adrenaline and perfection mixing into some sort of peaceful spectacle...I guess that sounds strange doesn't it? Sorry about that!" Steve said a little nervously, but Jarvis responded quickly, "No, there are many human emotions that baffle me so it is not strange at all. You make the feeling a bit easier to understand. Perhaps there is a greater purpose to the healthful exercise that is dancing." Steve smiled at the response and quickly Jarvis concluded his business, leaving the blonde to stew on the many things that had happened that day.

1\. Tony Stark asked for his help on how to dance the waltz.

2\. Steve danced with Agent Romanov to showcase the proper waltz...for Tony.

3\. Steve got angry at Tony for laughing at his teaching method.

4\. Jarvis asked about dancing because...of Tony?

The American hero growled angrily and threw his magazine he had been reading across the room in anger, everything was about Tony! Then again...Steve stopped for a moment and realized something that put a big hole in his heart, something that had made his stomach drop and his wet slightly. This had been the first time he had been with someone the whole day since the beginning of the Avengers. Since then, no one had cared and they had had their own lives, jobs, and lovers to return to, but not him. He hadn't hadn't had someone like that for a very long time, someone to come home to or say hi to for more than an hour. That left an impression in his heart, that he was not needed and for a moment an emotion in his heart fluttered at a single thought.

'Tony needed him.'

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 **Aryes: Hey guys, hoped you liked the first chapter! I like these two together and I hope to continue my story even further and yes folks, I added an Avenger 2 pun in there! XD I tried hard on this because I ship them so hard (yes, another pun intended!) Hope you liked it! :)**

 **~Aries**


	2. Chapter 2: Can You Understand?

**Aryes: Hey guys! This will be an 8 chapter series! Hope you love the characters and I hope they are not too OOC for anyone! I will try to make them realistic in their setting! Hopefully you guys enjoy the continuation of Dance With Me! :)**

 **This chapter starts off with after Steve's conversation with Jarvis, and basically he went to sleep and this is starting on Tony's point of view that night.**

 **You'll understand if you don't comprehend what the heck I just described!**

 **Also I would love to commentate on the reviews I get because they are helpful and amazing~!**

 _Ninelaws:_ _This was so sweet! It's so like Tony to apologise through Jarvis, ahaha. I love how you got the marvellous Black Widow in there and it was interesting to see Steve reminisce about the past. Can't wait to read more! :)_

 **Aryes: Thank you Honey~ I hope you like this new chapter! In many ways I find Tony like a kid, and because of his pride he wouldn't apologize directly. :)**

 _Dawnieangel76:_ _You've got the antagonistic relationship between these 2 down pat already! Can't wait for that unresolved sexual tension to flare during the dancing. :-)_ _Now, not to quibble, but 1) Cap was frozen for 70 years, making it nearly 100 years, not 200; 2) Thor's girlfriend is Jane, not Kate._ _Just wanted to give you a heads-up before any jerks come around & give you insulting grief._

 **Aryes: Thnk you for the facts! I needed them from not watching a main Marvel movie for a while other than Avengers 2, but I couldn't remember that stuff! Thank you for catching that! I don't like jerks so that works :D**

 **Warning: This is a yaoi (Male x Male) You a hater? Get out! If you love it enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or anything like it! :)**

 **Enjoy~!**

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Step 1: Training Begins Now!

 **A couple of minutes ago: Steve's bedroom:**

 _"Mr. Rogers, what does it feel like dancing?" Steve paused at the odd question, usually Jarvis did not ask questions. Steve sat for a moment and thought, "um, well dancing is..." There was a silence as the hero thought and then memories of past flooded back to him, things that made dancing so amazing. "When you dance, sometimes you feel like your flying, like every move you make sends you a little higher, every motion your making is perfection, I guess you can say it gives a sense of peace and yet you feel a high from it. The adrenaline and perfection mixing into some sort of peaceful spectacle...I guess that sounds strange doesn't it? Sorry about that!" Steve said a little nervously, but Jarvis responded quickly, "No, there are many human emotions that baffle me so it is not strange at all. You make the feeling a bit easier to understand. Perhaps there is a greater purpose to the healthful exercise that is dancing." Steve smiled at the response and quickly Jarvis concluded his business, leaving the blonde to stew on the many things that had happened that day..._

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 **The present: Tony's lab:**

'Well, well, well' thought Tony with a smirk slightly listened to Jarvis replay Steve's message to him along with his current mental/emotional state, Tony laughing as he heard Steve's anger through his voice along with the emotional monitor on the screen. The laid back brunette was in a strange desk chair that could lean back almost 180 degrees from the seat, but he kept it enough so he could lean back comfortably. Stark scratched the small hairs on his chin, making a satisfying noise that helped him think as he heard Jarvis shut off the recording near the end abruptly. This caught Tony's attention, the waves on the screen that signified the length and emotional state of each word said was stopped before it could get to the end. Jarvis played every video to the end so this made Tony pause ad he vaguely heard Jarvis speaking to him, trying to get his attention.

"Sir? Are you alright? Tony, are you alright? Should I get Ms. Potts for you? Or The Captain? Tony-"

"Jarvis, play the last part of the video." There was no humor in the voice, it was a mix of curious and a vague of pride. There was a silence that followed, nothing happened.

"Sir, The last part of the video was simply a question I had for the Captain, I am not sure if he would appreciate you listening in on our conversation past the point of my question." Tony's eyes widened and he turned to study the emotional patterns. There was confusion then something akin to happiness then there were points of pain then their was more of the peaceful vibe from before.

"What did you ask him?" the brunette wondered out loud, "I simply asked what did dancing felt like. Judging on the way Mr. Rogers danced in the ballroom I was curious as to why his emotional state seemed to flurry." Jarvis answered, and the genius languidly stood up for a moment and typed quickly on the computer bringing up the camera readings on Steve Rogers. You see, every guest who walks into the Stark tower receives a bit of extra attention now from his cameras, emotional feedback helps Tony distinguish lies and helps discern what is true. This was especially helpful when Tony chose his business partners and helpful when he made deals with strangers. He even had a pair of light yellow shades that were used particularly for that purpose if he was out and about, it was immensely useful to watch someone's metal status.

All the Avengers were watched closely since they lived in Stark Tower, Banner was watched even more carefully than the others for obvious reasons. Most of the Avengers had pretty easy to read files, physical, mental, emotional, and social. They were all balanced most of the time, but there was one Avenger that Tony had taken a note to watch more closely this last month or so, Captain America. Tony had only noticed it a week ago after he went to a meeting but as he checked the status of his fellow housemates, he saw something. Something that was rather alarming, on Steve Rogers files there was an anomaly of motions flurried together in amassment. It was mainly at night times where this amassment of emotions happened, which is common during sleep, but there was an undeniable strangity to this particular emotion so he had told Jarvis to monitor the Captain more closely. The readings were undeniably depressing, at least Tony got out once a week or so, but the blonde buff hadn't been in outside on the ground in a whole month except for his jog and during that time he did not contact another being.

Steve was a stranger person than Tony had ever known, because even though Banner had a green monster inside of him, he still got out and met people. Steve somehow met the loneliness with peaceful things. Things that Tony was surprised he did, Steve baked and cooked for them even though they never said a word of thanks. The blonde loved flowers, reading, drawing, working on repairing cars, dancing, martial arts movies, anime, and cartoons. The brunette had been thinking about Steve even before he approached him for a proposition, which was indeed a very real thing still in Tony's mind, but the super soldier had been too amusing to tease today. He was just too serious all the time! Maybe, after the dancing lessons were over Tony would take him to a bar and get him out of the tower for a while.

"Play the recording, I promise I won't tell him about it," Tony bantered and there was a pause.

"Is that a promise sir?" the automated voice ventured and Tony pursed his lips as he answered.

"Yeah, you can even shut down my calls for a day if I break my promise!"

"Sir, that would be more problematic for us and then you would hide in here all day." Tony smirked at the comment.

"Sure would," and there was an automated sigh as Jarvis played the rest of the audio. That smirk that Tony had in the beginning slowly faded and he waited a moment after the video was over, thinking silently to himself.

"Jarvis, what time does the Captain get up at to make breakfast?" asked Tony and instantly Jarvis replied, "Lately, he gets up around 7 o'clock and begins to cook at 8 sir."

"Move my morning meeting to 9:10, and wake me up at 7 tomorrow." There was a pause but Tony stood up and looked at his large watch, "10:43"

"I will arrange it sir, would you like me to inform Mr. Rogers of your presence tomorrow morning?"

"Nope"

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 **Morning**

Steve's blue eyes flitted open to filter in the bright light of morning, his whole body humming with the thrill of a dreamless night. No nightmares. No dreams. Just silence. Steve stretched in his bed, his red plaid pajama bottoms ruffled as he moved his body out of bed and yawned silently almost breathless. The blonde gently touched his hair and grimaced at the feeling of it flying in different directions, he really had terrible bed hair. He stood up gingerly, twisting his body left and right, trying desperately to stretch everything out so he wouldn't be so stiff. Today was day one of Waltz training for Tony so Steve had to be in excellent condition too!

The blonde yawned once more before going to his closet to gather some clothes to get a shower. His shower took around 15 minutes and combing his hair to behave was around 10 minutes to do, for some reason it was being unreasonable. Today, Steve had a tropical looking tank top with a pair of blue jeans on, he didn't wear shoes in the morning typically because he saw no use for them, the Stark Tower was practically spotless from the lack of use. Steve yawned once again as he wondered out into the living room and stopped when he saw the light on. The blonde's eyes widened to the point of being comparable to a cat's eyes, his eyes surveyed the room with a critically sweeping gaze. He went over to a large vase and picked it up gently, holding it at an angle to bash someone's head in. Slowly, Steve tiptoed into the kitchen, eyes sweeping the area before stopping on Tony's very amused face.

"Good morning Captain, what's for breakfast today?" Steve scowled at the innocent morning voice and with quick gentleness he set down the vase he had been holding as he spoke, "What are you doing here?" The brunette looked up in false confusion from his coffee, "This is my house, why wouldn't I be here?" Steve pinched the bridge between his nose and breathed out softly, "You know what I mean." Tony smiled again, but it was more mocking than anything at the moment. "Well, I am having a meeting at 9:10 so I decided to get breakfast warm for once." The blonde had nothing to say other than, "You can make your own breakfast Tony." The genius made an "O" with his mouth and asked, "Is this about my teasing I did yesterday? Come on now Cap, how old are you? I apologize for making fun of the waltz and you. Please! I need some breakfast before I go to this meeting!" Tony pleaded.

Steve gave him a dark look before grabbing the bridge of his nose and breathing out, it seems to have become a habit when dealing with the infamous playboy. "Fine" he relented eventually, "Anything in mind for breakfast then?" Tony smiled genuinely, "your eggs are awesome so something with eggs! Anyway you want to make it is fine." Steve stared evenly with a pensive look on his face, trying to figure out what they would eat. Ah, he wanted an egg sandwich on toast with a slice of ham, cheese, egg, and bacon, that sounded splendid.

"Do you mind ham or bacon?" At the question, the brunette gave a confused look but he answered no. Steve turned to get started on making their sandwiches and didn't even notice the growing smile on his face as a few thoughts went through his head. _'I am making breakfast for someone'_ , _'I hope he likes it'_ , _'Can't wait for him to take a bite and thank me, that sly bastard finally will be glad I am here'_ , _'I am going to eat with someone'_ , and the last thought was a repeat of one earlier, ' _I hope he likes it'._

"So, when are you free this evening?" asked Steve as he cooked the eggs in the pan, shaking salt and pepper in for taste. "Woah, are you asking me out Captain? I didn't know you swung that way." This comment confused the blonde as he turned with the expression evident on his face, "Swung what way? What are you talking about? I was just asking if you had free time to start practicing the waltz. What were you talking about?" asked Steve with exhasperated look on his face, and he heard Tony laughing at him. This put the blonde in a bit of a pissy mood as he turned with the pan and said, "Would you stop laughing at me? At least tell me what's so funny!" Tony stopped and then abruptly asked with a pointed look, "Do you know what the word 'gay' means or the word 'homosexual'?"

"Gay means happy, right?" asked Steve now a little more than uncertain about his prior knowledge as he saw Tony smirk a bit too lustily for his taste as he chuckled lightly. "Nope, well technically it still does but also is a title in a sense. Back in the dinosaur age, was there any men who had sex with other men? Or lusted after them the way some lust after a woman?" Tony asked and Steve's face flushed red and he turned from the burning stove to screech at the shameless genius, "TONY!" But the genius pushed on with a pointed answer, "Nowadays gay means homosexual which means men who love men. There are also women that love women and then there is a whole 'nother side of the sexual spectrum I am not going to introduce ye-" "-T-TONY!" Steve screeched again, but then he stopped to flip the eggs and Tony spoke some more, "Basically all you need to know Cap is that when someone asks, 'Do you swing for the other team?' or 'Swing that way'. They are asking if you are homosexual. There are also people who love both sexes in the sexual way and those people are called bisexuals-"

"Alright, I get it already. Yes, your joke was funny. Hilarious." the soldier said dryly and then there was some silence that passed then he heard the brunette snickering behind him at the table. "Your still red in the face Capsicle! Cool down, I am just educating you, not making fun. I swear. I am just curious though. Which are you?" The blonde turned to get the toast but he had time to toss a steady look towards Tony, "Why does it matter? How did we even get talking about such crude things at the table? If you are so interested then you tell me first." Stark smirked and shrugged, "That's easy, I am bisexual." The blonde sighed and muttered under his breath as he finished their food, "Wow, what a surprise."

"So, your turn Captain."

The remark was made and seemed to disappear into silence and what was left was Tony staring pointedly at Steve, who was currently eating his sandwich at the other end of the table. "Hey, you didn't answer the question," Tony said and the blonde stopped eating and said with a honest look, "I don't know." The millionaire stared at Steve with a dumb look as he said with a bit of disbelief, "Really? No way, at twenty whatever you should have figured it out by now!" "Shut up, how do you know if you haven't even-" there was a pause in the shout that Steve had just done, it was almost suffocating as the air around them felt tenser, so the soldier changed the subject, "So, when do you plan on practicing today?" Tony smirked with a cheeky smile and replied back, "When are you free?"

"Anytime," Steve replied with a firm tone, he could play this game of Tony's. "Alright, how about 5 tonight to about 8?" Tony asked and Steve nodded then stopped. "Are you going to eat?" asked Steve a little concerned at the untouched food, but then the millionaire picked up the sandwich and bit into it. There was a noise that came from Tony as he bit into the blonde's egg sandwich. It was a groan of delight, then there was the sound of a glass of water falling onto the table, both around the same time. Steve's face grew a bit red on his ears as he felt them heat up at the brunette's noise and he shouted, "Geez, you scared me!" The soldier covering up the real reason why he had dropped the cup onto the table.

That noise had actually caused Steve to loose his grip from shock and from a shot of arousal that went down south. It was only a natural reaction to such a lewd sound! The past had shown Steve that sounds aroused him more than any physical stimulation could, so he really couldn't handle hearing sex noises of any kind! He stood up and hurriedly put the dishes in the sink and went back to his room, there was no goodbye to their meeting. There had only been an awkward wave of hand in Tony's direction and the blonde hoped that Tony didn't understand what had just happened. Even Steve didn't know what had happened, but unfortunately for Steve, Tony caught what had happened.

As the blonde left the room, the brunette felt the smirk grow on his lips and he felt himself shake with laughter! This was too much for Tony to take, the blonde was so easy to mess with! The genius knew what the comment earlier had meant, or at least he was pretty sure about it. 'How do you know if you haven't even _' the answer to the blank could be one of two things, kiss or had sex. Either way, Tony felt a kick in the gut for teasing the man, but Rogers should know by now that Tony would do that. _'So the Captain's a virgin?'_ Tony took a step back in his thoughts to evaluate some things, could the Captain perhaps actually swing that way? If he did would he be a top or a bottom? What would his type be? Tony had some experience with men before, he preferred women over men though, but when he was feeling pent up or angry, Tony would grab a guy from the bar and fuck them into oblivion.

The thing was that Tony had guys, playmates as many would call them, on speed dial. Maybe if Steve wasn't sure about his sexuality, he could call up some gal and guy and just have a little party, maybe he would even join in on the fun. ' _Really? Would I join in if Steve was in the middle of sex?_ ' the brunette wondered honestly as the previous thought ignited a strange tinge of lust. The Captain had a pretty desirable body yet he acted as if no one would want him, it was odd seeing someone so close to perfect deny himself something as wonderful as intimacy. It confused Tony to no end and made him wonder what type of childhood the other man actually had to make him that way. The genius wondered if he had the chance, would he really break his 'no fucking work partners' policy for Steve if the chance ever arised? You see, Tony only topped and he'd like to keep it that way, images of an needy lustful Steve was impossible for him to imagine since he had never even seen Steve really smile at him at all or cry, he had never seen Steve do anything vulnerable in front of Tony. There was always a scowl on his face when Tony walked in the room, how on earth could he change Steve's mind on something like that?

' _When has he smiled at something?_ ' thought the genius as he thought back on when he first met Steve. He smiled when he accomplished new things, whenever the blonde saw an animal, whenever he was with Thor, Natasha, or Banner, whenever he heard old music, or...Tony paused and he felt the idea dawn on him almost immediately, Steve loved dancing, he had even said so to Jarvis. If Tony learned to dance the waltz, then maybe the Captain would dance with him and like him more. True, Tony was currently into Pepper Potts at the moment and he was hoping to impress her with his flawless dancing and sweep her off her feet, but to do that he needed Steve, and a whole lot of him, so Tony needed to make Steve want to help him. It is said that a man who wants to help will get more done than a man who is guilted into labor, and Tony wanted to be good at dancing the waltz.

"Sir, your meeting at 9:10 is waiting for your late appearance," the automated voice sighed and Tony smiled and glanced at his watch, 9:09. "I am not late Jarvis," Tony insisted as he stood up and walked down the hall to the elevator, "everyone else is just early." There was a silence as he walked into the elevator and pressed a button as Jarvis replied with almost a hint of sarcasm, "Of course sir."

* * *

 **Afternoon: 5:04 pm / Day 1**

"Jarvis, where's Tony?" his gaze followed the large ceiling of the ballroom and in boredom he was counting the different colored ceiling bits that made up the impressive ceiling above. The blonde was not angry about the brunette being late simply because his punctuality was virtually non-existent, but Steve's patience when it came to learning was wide and vast so he would wait for him. "Mr. Stark is coming up the tube now so he should be here in 30 minutes, he needs to change and getting a shower is likely to be with it, so I estimate him to be in here around 5:30 pm." Steve glanced down at his watch and sighed with a small internal smile, _'At least he had tried to meet me on time.'_ Steve heard the sound of footsteps down the hall continue pass the ballroom and guessed that the AI was right, Tony was going to be here in 30 minutes so instead the soldier stretched his legs over his head, touching his forehead with his leg and repeating with the other leg.

Through the stretches he was doing Steve was humming an old tune he knew as a child, he remembered how he used to hum and sing when he stretched because it made his aunt smile long ago when she was slowly getting sick. The tune was a lullaby he had made up himself to lull him to sleep when his parents died. During his younger years, he had always closed his eyes and imagined it was his mother and father humming it to him, but he soon realized that that method of thought only made him sadder, because the truth is that they would never return to truly sing it to him. His aunt had taken him in soon after and had tried to get his mind off of his parents death, because even though it was sad, Steve brooded much longer than any other child and that was just unhealthy. His Aunt Regina then taught him the only thing that she could, dancing the waltz. Even before his parents death, Steve had wanted to learn to dance the waltz because of his attraction towards it, so it had been the perfect change of pace that the blonde boy had needed. Steve took to it like a cat in water though, but he worked hard to perfect his form and hopefully dance one day for his aunt.

His Aunt Regina was dying and at the time, Steve had only been 12. So, in the end of her life Steve danced for her everyday until she died, he had been 14 when she passed. The prospect of dancing had faded from his mind until now when he was needed to dance once more, this time to teach another person. When Steve had agreed to the deal he thought about his aunt, what had she been thinking bout as she taught her nephew, when she had taught her final student how to waltz. The soldier hoped that now he could understand, but he had a inkling of a feeling that he wouldn't find out, at least not with Tony. For a few moments Steve paused, listening for any signs of other human life, there were no sounds. There was a reason why the blonde paused was because he felt a small chill up his spine.

"Mr. Rogers, are you alright? Your emotional state is in an unusual state." Jarvis said, scaring the blonde as the voice usually did, but then he calmed himself. "Nothing's wrong, I just felt a chill up my spine is all and maybe being in that icicle made me panic at the cold or something," Steve replied cooly, but Jarvis knew better as he spoke again in a harsher tone. "Captain, your readings indicate that you have just lied." The blonde heard a automated sigh from the AI and Steve felt a bit bad for lying to Jarvis. "I am here if you need to speak with me Mr. Rogers, I hope you consider that when you have another 'nightmare'." Steve froze suddenly and asked instinctively, "How do you know that?"

"Well, I am requested by Tony to monitor all emotional levels and mental states of all who dwell within the upper levels of the Stark tower at all times. Mr. Stark requests them mainly for Mr. Banner and for any associates whom he is doing dealings with, it helps him distinguish whether the deal he is committing to is a fraud. I am able to detect lies by measuring their regular heart rates and mental status, so my mainframe has recorded you level of emotional stress while you have slept on a regular basis. Your current emotional status tells me you are slightly disturbed by this new knowledge." Jarvis finished as Steve stared in awe at the ceiling, not sure where to look to face the voice. Yes, Jarvis was correct when he had evaluated Steve, the blonde was slightly put off by the new information.

"Is there- I mean...um-Is it a permanent setting? Is there any way to turn off that function from your-um..programming?" asked Steve who had finally pieced together the correct way to ask a machine to correct itself. The modern words of the present were very strange so properly mixing them into his usual vocabulary was proving to be difficult. "I apologize, but the only person able to remove that function from my programming is-"

"-me,"the billionaire interjected as the sound of his shoes against the hardwood alerted Steve of his arrival and quickly the blonde stood up and faced his student. The view of the brunette crossing the room was one many would have paid millions of dollars to catch a glimpse off and Steve was lucky enough to be the exception. Tony Stark certainly liked to give the air of business when he meant it, the man exceeded the soldier's expectations by a long shot, hell, Steve had expected Tony to bail after he had rejected to train him and caused him a crazy morning. Steve literally stood corrected as Tony strode across the room in an all black suit with a red under shirt and white tie along with a look of well being.

Steve felt himself gulp with an overwhelming sense of unworthiness, just being in the same room as the brunette caused him to feel like a mooch on a successful man, especially when said man was a bisexual known more formally as a womanizing playboy. Everything about Tony now oozed with sex appeal, he was the more modern version of the standards for men, his brown hair swept back almost looking effortless except for the shine of a gel making his hair even more appealing in the light as well as dimly lit places. Tony's brown eyes seemed to possess many similar properties from his hair as they shined effortlessly like everything was so interesting even though Steve knew Tony could care less about their waltz lessons.

Then, Tony's dark brown eyes intensified 10 fold as they settled on Steve's and Steve felt a bit heated under the new attention as the billionaire smirked a coy grin, shit, Steve had been caught staring. There was an uncomfortable silence that followed but as usual Tony was the first to break it with a rather obvious comment. "I am here now," Tony announced with a very open armed gesture and a simple look that said the same thing and that was when the sudden interest in Tony dissipated from Steve's mind as he returned absentmindedly, "I can see that." Tony stalked over to Steve and looked him up and down quickly and quickly Tony judged him out loud and with no filter," Your still wearing those?" The blonde looked down at his outfit which was the same as this morning, a tropical colored tank top with a pair of american blue jeans, but Steve didn't see the problem with them.

"What?" asked Steve and he heard Tony chuckle as he spoke, "Isn't the waltz supposed to be an elegant and formal dance? How is it going to be elegant if you don't look the part like I did?" asked the brunette with an arrogant smile and the billionaire looked back at Steve who had a rather sad expression while looking at his outfit, picking at it with a concentrated expression as he spoke almost a bit sadly, "Your outfit doesn't matter in the slightest. Whether you are poor or rich, the waltz is a dance of character. It is where you can set your heart and body free within the movements, it brings out your spirit and fragility of humanity." The brunette beside him stilled and Steve looked over a bit sheepishly as his eyes flickered around the room in remembrance to another memory, "It doesn't matter if you can dance here in a grand ballroom or in the streets, all that matters is 3 things in the waltz. Remember these 3 things Tony. One, the movements, two, the emotion you wish to betray, and three, trust."

"Trust?" asked Tony quietly, almost afraid of breaking Steve from his reverie, but the blonde's bright eyes landed straight on him while answering with a smirk, _'he asked a question which means he is curious.'_ Steve thought and a swell of triumph filled his heart as he answered, "Trust in your partner, trust in yourself, trust is a chain link for everything in this world and the waltz is no different."

"Well, aren't you just a hallmark card? or maybe a proverb calendar." Tony said but all he recieved from Steve was a rather blank look.

"What's a hallmark card?" asked the blonde, but the brunette brushed the question aside and simply replied, "I'll tell you later, just tell me the rest of it."

"Well, basically I am asking you to trust me alright? I know this is going to be awkward for us since we don't really get along but I ask that you bear with it as I teach you the steps. The waltz was not meant for two men for a very specific reason of body positions, but you will have to deal with it until you get the basic stances and motions down." Tony looked cautiously at Steve's outstretched hand and was unsure as he reached out to it with his own hand and gently Steve took the hand in his own, pulling Tony closer to him. Steve was alright with the strange new position since he had practiced with multiple people when he had been dancing back in the past before his uncle had died in the army and he had switched his mindset to being in the army.

Before he brought Tony any closer he asked him, their bodies almost a foot away from each other as he spoke, "I am going to walk you through the most basic waltz dance, the classic version, the version many know so please follow me and my cues and try to keep the stance i put you in." The brunette made a small smile as he tried to remain serious, "Aye, aye Captain." Steve said nothing more to Tony throughout the practice except for cues and the stances and by 6 o'clock they had gone through the whole dance without having any major problems, but minor problems that needed to be corrected. By 7 o'clock, the brunette had gotten used to the blonde's closeness and became less tense, but that had provided another problem when the wide stance they had began to shift.

In the wide stance they took, both men had to be extremely careful. As Steve had not been joking when he had said that this dance was designed for men of similar build. Despite Tony being a few inches shorter, Tony had longer legs so that put their crotches at the same level. The stance required both men to bow their backs outward while spinning which requested that both partners use their lower halves as a center for their gravity, but when this happened for men it usually ended with their lower areas getting rather heavily known unless done properly. By 8 o'clock both men had evaded the awkward situation that they had had, their members accidentally brushing together on only that first spin, both learning from the incident rather than pondering on it.

"You are being serious about this aren't you." Steve said as he gave Tony a strong gaze and the brunette met it equally and shrugged, "Of course, why else would I come to you for help? I came because I wanted to learn." Steve felt a bit of shock to his system and then he accidentally let one slip. A large unfiltered smile broke his masquerade of seriousness, his gentler more vulnerable nature passing his anger changing it to contentment. "That's good,because I am seriously teaching here," his voice chuckling softly afterwards and quickly he turned with Tony in another dance circle, a small bit of flying with the movement still in his mind. The thought of being able to share that amazing feeling of losing yourself in the feeling with Tony Stark was something that made Steve's body almost shiver, but his whole body felt alighted with a strange rush so he accidentally made the movement a little more graceful, his body accidentally slipping back to a graceful feeling of flying again.

Then, Steve stopped after the spin, realizing he should have been watching Tony to cue him for the right stances, but he had felt a little elation, it was almost astounding how fast the brunette could learn. "You're a natural at this." Steve said in awe as he separated from Tony, the other man not meeting his eyes as the brunette turned and said, "Well, it's 8 so I got an appointment to get to. Is the same time tomorrow good?" "Yeah, anytime." Steve replied as he turned away to do something. He turned around but by the time he had turned back, Tony had alright disappeared. "Alright, have a good day then, couldn't even say goodbye." Steve grumbled out quietly but a bit frustrated at the other man's behavior.

"Sir, your appointment isn't until 10," Jarvis announced as Tony neared his room and the brunette brushed his hair back as Jarvis continued his evaluation, "and you emotional state is sporadic, perhaps you need time to cool down sir." The billionaire walked into his room and began to strip down to only his boxers, the door automatically shutting behind him. "Jarvis, turn off the surveillance camera from my room along with the heat sensors and audio. Come and get me at 9:30." Tony said with a tired voice as he heard Jarvis head his command with the sound of a automated confirmation, and with that Tony plopped onto his bed with a sigh, a long drawn out sigh. Relief from his aching calves and back, Tony stretched himself on the bed and thought back on the day.

Earlier today his meetings had gone perfectly and with Steve's help he felt confident he would be able to learn the waltz in less than a week.

' _That's good because I am seriously teaching here.'_

Tony felt himself smile softly at the thought that the Captain was taking the waltz lessons seriously, even though he had been really nothing but rude to Steve 90% of the time. He never knew why he mocked the Captain, maybe it was just personality wise that was all they could do? Tony had gotten him to smile though, the pure brilliance of the white smile he had never seen but only had heard of. The man's smile had put him off, he had been caught off guard by Captain America and the brilliant smile he had hidden whenever Tony was around him. The gesture had been soft, the moment perfect, the dance motion that they had done in that moment made the brunette connect to what he had heard from the audio Jarvis had played earlier, the feeling of flying, of being swept away by your soul and all that other sappy shit that could describe it. All of it had felt true and now he was hooked, it was like a drug to Tony now. The waltz was truly as amazing as Steve had said and now he understood why Steve had been so angry when he had mocked it.

The waltz swept away all the loneliness and sadness Tony had felt from the past and that felt nice, better than alcohol or drugs."Is that what you meant Steve by waltz being so amazing?" Tony wondered aloud, his room echoing his thoughts right back and in that moment the billionaire decided to learn the waltz as soon as possible and hopefully learn more about the answer to that question. Well, after that the brunette napped from exhaustion and Steve fell asleep at around the time Tony was woken by Jarvis for his last meeting of the night.

"Jarvis, set my alarm for the same time to get up tomorrow. I want to have some breakfast before I work on my projects," Tony said before leaving.

"Would you like me to alert Mr. Rogers of your plans?" Jarvis asked and Tony grinned slightly.

"Yeah and while your at it, tell him the chicken he left for me in the fridge was finger lickin' good."

"Do I have to deliver the exact same words sir? Audio?"

"Yep, afraid so Jarvis, audio works too. Sorry you have to be the messenger, but I need to go now so have fun oh and record his reaction for me when i get home."

Later that night when Jarvis played the audio to Steve of Tony's words he cataloged the reaction and mental state of one Mr. Steve Rogers at the request of the one Mr. Tony Stark. Needless to say the reaction and mental state were indeed a sight for amusement at least that is how Jarvis would describe it.

* * *

 **Aryes: Was it good? Any ideas I can work into my story guys? I love to hear ideas~! I had fun with Tony's sarcastic bites and rather mindful thought process of a genius. Hopefully their character interactions are normal! Gah! Thank you reviewers for reviewing my work and giving such great advice :) Till next time!**

 **~Aryes**


	3. Chapter 3: Can You Drink?

**Aryes: Hey guys~! I have chapter 3 up! Yeah! I hope you guys are liking it because these two together are fantastic! I love them together! :) They are adorable. I hope to put it all out and this is tecnically day 2 of training~! So yay! These bond a whole lot kinda and I give you some background info on both (unsure if it's factual for either but this is my twist on their lives) I hope you like it a whole lot!**

 **Warning: Yaoi! (Male x Male!) If you don't like, please discontinue reading this story, if not, keep reading. There are also drinking, references to past abuse and traumatic childhood so yes, if any of this disturbs you please discontinue reading, don't say I didn't warn you!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Avengers or any Marvel franchise. Sorry.**

* * *

 **Step 2: Secrets of Armageddon (4 days left till the Party~!)**

The next morning was a pleasantly quiet occasion as both met up for breakfast, Steve at the oven making a batch of blueberry muffins and flipping some fluffy perfect pancakes on the stove when Tony came in another suit. This morning he wore a brown one that was a lighter shade than his hair along with a darker shade of brown for his pants and shoes which looked unsurprisingly stunning on Tony. He wore a dark pair of shades and wore a trademark playboy smile as he spotted a pancake being flipped by Steve casually. Steve glanced over at Tony and evaluated the man as he watched the blonde slide the pancake on a plate. There it was again, the blinding smile of Steve Rogers as the man stacked them neatly, was he really that happy that he was eating with him? There was a whole pile waiting for someone to eat them and Tony was definitely willing to help make that happen.

"Woah Stark, who knew you came out of the bat cave in the morning?" wondered a voice out loud, the familiarity of it instantly translated to one man. The billionaire's nice morning smile dropped as if gravity had pulled it forcibly from his tan face as he gritted out, "Hello Barton, so glad to see you." Tony turned, his eyes widening slightly to see that there was not just Clint but also Bruce and Natasha, now Tony understood why Steve had been so happy. Everyone was practically here this morning minus Nick Fury and Thor. Tony didn't hesitate to keep talking though if only to hide his genuine surprise. "So you both are here as well? I thought for sure you were in the Northern side of Africa this month for sure," Tony trailed as he glanced at Banner who simply threw a confused but a general understanding look as he responded, "Actually I completed my work early, so I booked a flight back to check in on you all before going to Russia."

"I am being sent on a mission in a few days also, but i will be out of the country for a few months this time." That was all that Romanov said before the blonde set down a plate full of pancakes, syrup, butter, and forks. Everyone had their own plate set out, and Steve's smile was still there but as Tony glanced at it he could swear the teeth were too close together as if they were being grinded together painfully, but that was none of his concern plus it was probably Tony not being fully awake. Everyone who was not seated sat down almost immediately as the food was placed down and some of them reaching for the gallon of orange juice or the gallon of milk to pour in their cup.

Tony sat next to Steve while Barton and Romanov sat opposite of them, Banner sat at the end of the table and seemed to be pacing his time eating while the others rushed in blind hunger. Funny how the Hulk could control his hunger but everyone else could not. The brunette billionaire savored each bite thoroughly, even though he practically inhaled the beautiful food that had been set before moments earlier. He loved everything about the pancakes they were just perfectly how Tony liked them and even though Barton was there (that fact alone usually ruined his meals) the food was simply too astounding to ignore.

Everyone left one by one until Tony was the last, Steve over in the kitchen area as Tony ate his 3rd helping. "Your going to make yourself puke if you eat that much Tony." Ah there it was, the Steve Tony knew oh so well, the mothering Captain America. "I will not, your cooking is so good that I would never waste it in such a way."the brunette said confidently and he heard the dish sounds coming from the sink stop. "Right," the sound of Steve's voice was rather dull and sad and did Steve just agree with him?!

"Are you sick?" asked Tony completely dumbfounded by the attitude change and Steve turned to look at him with a look that just said, 'Really Tony? Really?' But the blonde never answered the question and that left an awkward silence as the soldier went back to doing dishes in the sink. The brunette stood up and deposited his plate in the sink, unable to think of anything else to really say through the silence,so he left to go to his meeting instead of bugging the blonde more which was probably the most mature thing to do now. As Tony left to get in the elevator, Jarvis surprised him from his thoughts. "Hello Sir, the Forretta corporation has just arrived in the meeting hall. I wanted to let you know that they are very impatient and have caused your workers quite a lot of trouble."

"Huh, they aren't usually like that are they?"asked the brunette and Jarvis replied with a sigh, "I am afraid so sir." "Hey Jarvis, what was the mental status of Steve?" there was a silence following the sudden question and then Jarvis said one word that caused Tony to think of Steve all day, "Panicked." The word caused the brunette billionaire to think of something to do after dancing practice with Steve. He would show Steve something to get his mind off of whatever was panicking him. They were going to go to a club and he would dance with Steve, but not the Waltz. That was Steve's area of expertise, but Tony considered himself the samba his area expertise along with the Tango.

He had always been made for the strange sexy rhythm that came with it and he had been a rambunctious kid that had loved to shake his hips. It was coincidence that Steve knew how to dance as much as him, their childhood circling dancing which gave them both a stability. Tony had grown up without the love of a mother, perhaps that was why he felt the need to please women so much. The blonde was still a mystery to the brunette and it was irking him because he could look up the back story of everyone else, but Steve, Romanov being the exception, but Tony wasn't interested in her past. Right now, the Captain was the object of his curiousity, the man usually clammed up from prying eyes. Captain America was too perfect and it bugged Tony to want to find the chip on his shoulder, it made him want to see the vulnerable Steve Rogers.

"Sir, why are you laughing?" Tony caught himself as the automated voice caught him the act, "I am enjoying the great uses of my genius Jarvis." "Sir, what are you planning?" The automated voice implored and the billionaire laughed again, the second one much more mischieveous sounding than the last as he sneered and said, "Oh you'll see Jarvis. After all," Tony started then paused for dramatic affect then continued, "it takes two to tango." Jarvis implored further on his master's rather unusual phrasing and tone, but Tony would not speak anymore of it and changed the topic to the upcoming meeting as he strolled out of the elevator.

* * *

The feeling, or rather, the emotion Steve Rogers was feeling could only be called disappointment. You see, when the other Avengers came down the stairs to partake in breakfast, Steve had felt so warm and happy. He hadn't seen them all, except Natasha in a while and the blonde solider had hoped that they could have a get together someplace since so many of them were in the Stark Tower at once, but it seemed that once again Captain Rogers was being unrealistic. They were all busy people, each with their own schedules and missions from Shield. It wasn't like Steve was unused to being alone, but rather he was unused to feeling so out of place. He was just so far behind everything, desperately he had been trying to catch up to everyone and everything.

The days seemed to move on without him, but lately he hasn't been feeling completely lost. Tony, as much as Steve seemed to clash with him, the man really was trying to learn the waltz. That type of hard work was something even he could admire, the effort he was putting in for the woman that he loves? The blonde really was unsure of their relationship considering Tony still slept with someone every other week, and the only reason he knew that was because Jarvis would inform him that he would need to make Tony some home remedy to the man's massive hangovers and make extra breakfast and coffee for his companion.

Honestly, the day went faster than usual, mostly because he watched some old movies, one especially intrigued him because it had been a movie that him and Bucky had wanted to see before they had went into the army. It was a film about a man who got accepted into a fake corporation and had to run away with his family in tow to America. It was quite a common plot back in the days when Steve had been born, but now as Steve compared everything to technology nowadays. Movies were one thing that the blonde soldier had to get used to for sure, the stories much more abstract and plots more complex. The thing that thrilled Captain America the most so far about movies though were the graphics themselves, it was beyond the blonde's comprehension but he was enthralled none the less with it.

So, now looking back at the older movies he began to feel himself become almost bored with the movie, but even then he promised himself to stay awake for the sake of one day being able to Bucky about the movie. It was a sad far off thought, even if it was unlikely to reach Bucky anymore, for all he knew his best friend was dead. Steve felt himself drift into a fretful sleep, his mind scrambling back to the terrible past that both boys had shared. he felt himself falling to sleep and tried desperately to stay awake, but even he didn't have the strength to ward off the extreme amount of mental fatigue he felt building. At some point during sleep he might've heard the sound of Tony and that sent his thoughts spiraling even further into his mind, he couldn't even open his eyes to check, but he smiled briefly as he simulated how great their dance lessons would be today.

* * *

There was something nice about getting off of work earlier than expected, maybe it was the fact of having free reign over the rest of your day, but the brunette billionaire had something else to do today. At 5 was dance practice with Steve and Tony couldn't miss out on that, especially since he planned to take the blonde out someplace to unwind, he owed that much to Captain for making countless breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (Sometimes not even in that order). Plus, there was also the immense fun to be had of watching Steve's reaction to him bringing the blonde to a nightclub. Tony felt a smile break out across his face as he thought of how the Captain would react to the strange grind and bump dancing that they have nowadays. He could really see Steve saying that it wasn't real dancing.

During the time that he had taken to get in the elevator, Tony had changed into a normal looking black tank top and blue jeans since Steve had made it clear yesterday that he didn't care what they practiced in. So, when Tony strolled in to find Steve on the couch of the living room made him confused, well more than a little actually, because Steve rarely took a nap anytime. The man always preaching about how he should stay awake only during the day, because that's why the sun was out or something. As the brunette came closer he felt his eyes do something strange, his eyes seemed to observe everything about the Captain in almost an instant as his unconscious body lay on the living room furniture. The brunette smirked in a half smile, the Captain clearly didn't understand vulnerability very well. The man's body was facing the TV and his head resting uncomfortably on the armrest, one arm tucked next to his torso, the other resting atop the big cushion behind him.

Another thing that caught Tony's attention was the clothes Steve was wearing. The most casual he usually saw Steve was when he had a pair of large sweatpants and an t-shirt of some kind, it seemed though that Steve actually knew how to dress comfortably normal like. The man was only sporting a pair of blue boxers and a white tank top that showed off his muscles. It also showed how much the blonde was sweating in his sleep. Tony glanced back over at the screen, which showed the home page to Netflix, then he looked back at the luminescent skin of Captain Steve Rogers, America's hero in boxers. It seemed like a very strange position to be sleeping in.

"Hey, Cap! Are you really asleep?" Tony asked skeptically as his elbows pressed against head of the large living room couch. The billionaire leaning in for a closer look at the restless blonde haired man clutching the couch cushion with the arm next to him. The brunette examined the blonde a bit closer, the man's face wrinkled in a painful fearing way, hands grasping the couch beneath him like a lifeline. "Jarvis, mental status on Cap now please." Tony commanded and was not disappointed as he heard the automated old voice speak, "Sir, it seems that Captain Rogers is experiencing another nightmare and this one seems to be causing him much pain." Tony glanced down at Steve one more time and then quickly looked at his watch and sighed. He had actually wanted to start practice early so they could go out tonight.

"Oh Come on Cap, you sleep now of all times?" the billionaire murmured softly, his eyes settling on a black marks peeking out of the boxers, the mark directly beneath his hips on each side. 'No way...It couldn't be a-' thought Tony but he felt a cackle escape and fruitlessly he tried to cover his mouth. The sound still escaped sounding only slightly muffled, luckily though, the blonde was in a deep state of unstable unconsciousness. "Hey Steve, do you seriously have tattoos?" Tony asked softly, the question was rhetorical though because that was the most likely answer. Tony, being the curious nosy neighbor type of guy, gently reached down to lift the boxers up a bit on one side, all the while though Tony is wondering what the tattoo would be of. Maybe it was something American or better yet, something extremely embarrassing. As the brunette pulled up he could see the colors black and red, the black spelling a word in cursive, a large red star at the end of the cursive.

'Bucky', the word written in cursive was Steve's best friend's name on his right leg. The one person that had actually survived to this time period other than Steve. "Damn, that's deep," Tony muttered as he let the flap of the boxers back to their original place. Then his brown dark eyes spotted the other side of his hips, the ink was a maroon colour from what he could see standing where he was and he leaned down and gently pried up the other leg of the boxer and was met with a cursive lettering of maroon with a blue flower underneath the last letter 'y', the word was a name. Peggy. Tony felt himself cringe, he didn't know that person but he could only assume it had been someone close to Steve in the old days. Then, Tony looked over at Steve's pain stricken face and he felt himself feel pity for the man. Well, for a little bit.

"Hey Cap, come on. Wake up!" Tony shouted as picked up a pillow from beside the solider's feet and smacked the blonde harshly with it. There was a startled sound emitted from Steve after Tony's 4th or 5th hit and the blonde shouted to let him know it. "Woah! What the-! Tony stop it!" Steve exclaimed as he angrily tried to grab the pillow away from his attacker but Tony avoided all the clumsy tries and chuckled Steve's attempt to try and grab it with both hands. It was almost sweet how Steve looked so sleepy but kept trying to stop Tony from doing something, maybe they should sleep deprive Steve a little more.

Meanwhile, Steve gave up after a minute and just pleaded Tony stopped hitting him because he was indeed now awake, so generously, Tony decided his torture of Captain America would cease. The blonde looked outside and wrinkled his eyebrows, and glanced back to Tony with a confused look, "Aren't you still supposed to be working?" "I gotta say, I love hearing that from my resident moocher," Steve flushed indignantly at the statement, "Hey, that's not fair. I was just asking it because you have never really been home before 4:30." Tony smirked as he looked over at the wall clock that said 2:05 and smiled, "Well, I got off early because I finished everything early, I own my own company remember, my lunch break is 2 hours if I say so." Steve frowned and then glanced over Tony's new attire then down at his own and gasped.

"Nothing to be ashamed out Cap. Everyone walks around in their underwear once in a while." Tony admonished with a slightly feral grin as he finished the rest of his jab, "Not everyone with tattoos of his best friend's name and a woman on his thighs do though." The brunette snickered as he saw Steve's ears flush but the man chose to walk away rather than reply to such an obvious instigation and Tony being who he was, followed Steve into Steve's territory, the kitchen. It seems Steve was going to make lunch while ignoring Tony, "Anything you want to eat?" The brunette smiled brightly and tapped the blonde' shoulder, the taller man turning around to see Tony holding up a card. "What is that?" asked Steve hesitantly and the evil grin on Tony's face became smaller as he replied simply for Steve's sake.

"Let's go order dinner, my treat okay?" Now this statement made the blonde almost fearful, Tony never offered something nice like that so Steve gently held the knife in his hand a little tighter as he said, "You can't be Tony! So who are you?" Steve asked cautiously, his own voice helping him affirm it and the brunette scowled and asked, "What?" "You don't ever to buy us anything but drinks and that's just so you can get us drunk so you can hide away in your workshop for days. So I ask again, who are you?" Steve asked the grip of the knife was clenched in his hand tightly in case something obviously wrong came out. "What Cap'n Crunch? Are you scared that I am going to fatten you up and eat you? I mean seriously dinner isn't that big of a deal to put on my card, or did you forget I am a billionaire?"

"There are too many variables here that you never do!" Steve pointed out and Tony got a little pissed and shouted loudly, "Really? Variable, Cap? What are you, a high school science teacher? Since when is taking a coworker out to dinner such an alien behavior?"

The blonde narrowed his eyes and pointed the knife with one hand at Tony now and said, "Since the fact that you have never taken any co-worker out to dinner! Not just that, the fact that you're home earlier, and the fact that you know about the tattoos really sum up some strange behavior."

Tony rolled his eyes, something he rarely did, and then he replied, hoping to clear up such a strange misunderstanding, "No, I came home early because I wanted to practice, then I kinda saw you on the couch in your undies and saw your tattoos peaking out so I just lifted your boxers to look-" "Tony! Privacy!" Steve panickedly cut in in shock, but Tony retorted quickly, "Cap, you're in my house, only I get privacy. You forget Jarvis records everything anyone does in the Stark Tower, so he only listens to me." The brunette watched as the shock of that statement settled in Steve. Quickly, Tony watched as Steve seemed to rid himself of outward emotions, the blonde breathing in and breathing out. "Only you with your big ego would brag about Jarvis listening to you," Steve said and stopped, "Alright, I'll go with you."

"Yes! That's the spirit! Put on your best and most comfortable suit you own Captain! We are going to eat like gods!" Tony made an extravagant gesture with his hands like he was pleading to the sky and the brunette swore he saw an inkling of a smile on the Captain's face, but as he turned the blonde was already heading back to change clothes. Tony stood still, watching Steve with a trance like stare as the man walked down the hallway, but soon pulled his eyes away. As soon as he heard the tell tale shut of a door, he spoke, "Jarvis, cancel my appointments tomorrow." There was a pause then an instantaneous response, "Sir, there are no appointments tomorrow until 2 o'clock. Why do you ask if i may?" The brunette was somewhat astounded as he leaned against a counter top, Jarvis was an AI who was actually curious. The thought that Jarvis was special that way warmed up Tony's core slightly as it hummed a little, indeed Jarvis was the greatest technology Stark Co. had.

"I need the morning off because I have a feeling I am going to come back home and get really really drunk. Call it intuition or just a guess." Tony stated out, moving his hands slightly into a more comfortable position only to jump at the AI's voice again, he hadn't expected a response, "Hopefully sir, Mr. Rogers will have a better influence on you tonight and you may come home without being highly intoxicated as you usually are."

The brunette scoffed a little, but couldn't help hope that things would turn out the opposite. He wanted to influence Steve enough to open up about what's in his dreams and if Tony has to get him intoxicated to do so then he would make the drinks keep on coming. First though, Tony wanted to know why the Capsicle was acting weird and he had a feeling that that too would need a bit of alcohol to solve. The billionaire smirked at the what he thought Steve would act like when he was drunk, perhaps he would be a sad drunk, crying and everything, but Tony personally liked the idea of an angry irrational Captain America.

As much as Tony wanted to think upon the subject, he first needed to somehow sway the idea in the blonde's mind, make it tempting to the other wisely straight laced American hero. The brunette licked his lips at the scent of the big challenge he was to face so that his own plan would be realized. It would be hard, but the billionaire always loved a hard day that ended with a couple thousand drinks at the bar and a chick around his arms. He wasn't an infamous playboy for nothing, there was a reason no one complained when they slept with them, he was indeed a good lover in bed, or so he had heard.

As Tony sat on the couch waiting for Cap to get on his best clothes, Tony paused wondering what Steve would think the phrase 'good clothes' meant. "Wait a second, Cap!" the billionaire said as he quickly followed where the blonde had been walking to. The brunette rounded the corner and saw Steve walk out in a flannel plaid shirt and a pair of black dress pants. Tony couldn't help but start laughing at the sight causing the blonde to slightly red and saying, "What?" Tony just repeatedly said the word, "No" through his fits of laughter and dragged the man back into his room to go through the clothes.

* * *

"It's not that funny Tony," Steve stated as the man beside him shook a little with laughter again and he replied, "Yes it is. I can see the headlines if I had let you go out in public, " **America's Hero, The Great Captain America Having Wardrobe Troubles.** " He felt himself curl up his fist slightly at the rude comment but Steve breathed out slowly and considered himself lucky that Tony actually told him that they were going to an actually good place to eat and not somewhere where he could actually get away with wearing his flannel shirts at. He pulled at the polo that Tony had told him to wear, it was a bright cyan blue (something Steve didn't understand at all except that it was a bright weird color of blue) and a pair of blue jeans.

"We need to teach you how to be fashionable in this modern age Cap." Tony remarked with an air of superiority and Steve felt his face cringe visibly at his words. The blonde turned his head toward the window of the limo with a sigh as he thought, 'It doesn't matter Tony, there's no one who I would meet outside the tower and it's not like there's anyone I want to impress anyway.' "Think of it Cap! You getting thronged by the female masses because I helped you!" Steve's face completely went blank as he just looked at the brunette who seemed proud of the thought and the blonde went speechless at his comment.

The other man looked at him with a smiling face as he completely changed topics again, completely confusing the heck out of Steve! "Hey, do you know how to tango?" the taller man sat confused for a second before he answered, "Well, when I was young I did train somewhat with some tango dancers from Queens." Steve shivered at the thought of that team of misfits who scared the begeezus out of him with their crazed eyes when they spoke about money. "So you know how the dance works, do you think you could follow a tango dance?" the brunette asked him and Steve got a bad feeling in his gut from the way Tony was looking at him with bright twinkling eyes.

"Yes," Steve muttered and then he regretted responding as Tony gave him the most Cheshire grin he had ever seen from the man. It was almost too bright with his bright white teeth for Steve to handle and he hoped that whatever was exciting the brunette would stop. "Quit smiling like that," Steve commented with a side glance at Tony but the other man scooted across the red felt seat to where the other resided, by a window in the back of the limo.

"What are you talking about," the brunette's smile got even wider as he saw the other man glance over at him more as he spoke, "You are planning something Tony and I am not sure I want to know." The other man sat up properly and sort of grinned in a smirk like way that was rather smug, "What? Did you think your dinner would be completely without some sort of catch? Your more gullible than you look Capsicle." The blonde felt his face burn with anger as he slightly shouted with an angry gaze, "I knew it! You weren't just being nice, I was right!"

"I never exactly said you were wrong to begin with...," Tony trailed off and Steve almost punched the man as he saw those brown dark eyes slide over to him and a small curve of the man's lips, he was mocking him!

"I swear one of these days Stark, mark my words, I will punch that smug looking face of yours." the tall man said with firmness while clenching his fist and the other man popped open a bottle of some sort of champagne. "Really Captain, you'd ruin this handsome visage of mine?" Tony inquired knowing with the way he was bugging Steve the answer would be something along the lines of 'gladly'. "No, violence wouldn't solve that terrible personality trait you seem to possess," Tony gaped slightly at the uncaptain-like remark and he saw Steve smirk a little but swiftly hid it again. The brunette still saw it though in the bright blue that twinkled with the merit of his remark.

"I'm shocked that you see it that way! In my opinion it is one of my many charms, well along with being a billionaire and handsome!" Stark commented with evident pride and then he looked at Steve and said pointedly, "At least I have more appeal than the straight laced Captain America." As soon as the words left Tony's lips Steve felt pain deep somewhere in his heart and the pain must have shown on his face as the billionaire's own face changed to one of concern and confusion. The other man obviously tried to look closer but the blonde quickly turned away as he felt himself shrink slightly in the corner of the car.

Suddenly, Steve swore the car was too small for the two of them as he felt the other man staring at him closely. "What Cap'n? Did you think I was serious?" Tony laughed after that and Steve cringed because it was a forced laugh which made the blonde's stomach churn. Steve clutched his other hand tightly as he whispered, "You know you don't have to force yourself." Tony responded with a rather dumb sounding, "Huh? What are you talking about? I am taking you to dinner to have a good night. Plus you are teaching me to dance, so think of it as a payment of some kind." Steve stilled visibly and looked out the window with a sad face.

'So that's the reason? I guess that figures, I mean who would want to spend time with me without there being some sort of ulterior motive to it?' the blonde reasoned with himself, and here he thought that Tony was wanting to be friends or even just being nice, but no it had to do with feeling guilty for making him teach him to dance. Steve forced himself the negative emotions swelling in him and forced them down just like before...when he first came to this new age. All the sadness, anger, or the hollowness deep in his stomach so he put on a good face for everyone like always. The blonde breathed out a shaky breath and heard Tony say, "You okay Cap? You aren't crying are you?"

The blonde turned back to the brunette with a blank face and he changed the topic they were on, "So where are we eating at?" The topic change was apparently welcomed by Tony as he started talking about the place they were going to, but he felt the billionaire's sharp gaze on him at all times throughout their limo ride to dinner. Steve didn't mind because he was used to faking with a smile and a gentle voice, just like always, but the gaze turned into a glare as the automobile stopped, they were at their destination. As Captain Rogers exited the vehicle he felt the other man grab his wrist and pull himself out of the limo, his eyes still on Steve.

"Why are you staring at me?" asked Steve, but he was interrupted by the sound of cameras taking pictures behind the bouncers little path dividers and then came the noise. The sound waves from the people surrounding them almost made Steve go deaf! They were shouting and catcalling for a photo and while Tony was used to such treatment, Steve was not. The blonde started to panic as some people pushed at the boundary holders and the security for the place they were going, he started getting nervous that they would jump him.

Tony walked in front of him, checking backward at him and the other man smiled in that smug look that drove the other hero up a wall! He was probably laughing at him and how he looked right now, probably as scared as he felt and the other man made a gesture towards the doors of what Steve would classify as the "billionaire's club". The place was a huge tower and the front of the building looked simply magnificent and more than the blonde would ever make in his lifetime working at even S.H.I. E.L.D for 10 years. As soon as they both walked through the door, the taller male grabbed at Tony's black suit and made the other man turn with the gesture.

"Aren't I under dressed for this type of place Tony!?" Steve whispered out urgently, his face burning as he felt the scrutinizing eyes of people on him, most likely disliking his appearance. Their curious looks were like lasers on the blonde's back and it gave him a very bad feeling that was akin to what he felt on the battlefield, but this was a completely different battlefield, one that even Captain America didn't want to get caught up in. The taller man focused on the billionaire in front of him who gave him a look over quickly and smiled a genuine smile, "Nope, you're fine."

Slightly, Steve felt the panic overtake him for a moment as he whisper shouted, "I don't belong here Tony! This place is..." The blonde trailed off as he couldn't pinpoint the word until he whispered it out and immediately regretted it, "...dangerous." The brunette smiled a snicker that showed him trying to contain laughter and Steve flushed slightly and quickly glanced around the place. There were couches of pure white with black patterns and walls of black and gold designs that covered the walls. The flooring was a sleek green and purple, leading to a marble looking room with a large ballroom dance floor that made Steve gasp at its beauty.

"Isn't it nice? They have a band that plays later and since you are teaching me the waltz I think it is only fair that you understand how I danced before, it may make it easier to teach if you learn what I already know, or at least that's how I see it." the brunette commented beside him, but the blonde was transfixed by the dance floor once more until a hand flew in his face causing him to jolt back. "Earth to Captain! You alive? Is it really that amazing?" Tony said and Steve just looked at him in utter surprise as he said, "Are you saying that you don't have the urge to just dance on it? To see how far your feet take you on it? To see how great it would feel to..."

Steve trailed off as he stared starstruck at the dance floor again getting sucked into its beautiful glow from the chandelier lights above. It was almost ethereal in its glimmering and once again Steve felt his body feel the urge to dance it so strong he leaned forward. "I mean if you really feel out of place here, we can always go back to the tower," Tony said almost coyly, his gaze stuck on Steve and the blonde clenched his fist at the all knowing smirk the man had on his face. The taller man turned himself and looked downward and proclaimed with a practiced smile, "I am fine now. I guess I am not used to all this attention. I just kinda feel out of place without suit like everyone else."

"Mr. Stark! How nice to see you here! It's been a while," a woman said and both men looked over in the direction the voice came from and the brunette's face seemed to changed to a sweeter one. "Marielle! I haven't seen you in a while. You are looking beautiful as usually," Tony replied, walking right up to the woman. The woman in question was a black haired woman who looked like she was in her late 30's and she wore a bright orange dress that illuminated her very brown eyes. The dress was very short, nearly above her half thigh, it was wonderful and yet, Steve found it somewhat scandalous.

"Oh my, who is this strapping young man? Is this the famous Captain America?" The woman asked as she turned to look at him and the blonde's face turned a bit red at the word 'famous'. "I'm not that famous am I?" mumbled Steve, he wasn't used to talking to woman like this Marielle. Natasha, he could speak about missions and things, but this was a woman that had nothing to do with his work. "Oh yes! I think every woman in this club want to talk to you or Mr. Stark! Why I wouldn't be surprised if you find yourselves surrounded by young women once I leave you!" the raven woman said with a smile as she saw the blonde turn slightly red.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting your friend Tony. Nice meeting you Mr. Rogers," the woman commented before giving Tony a very strange look and walking back into the casino part of the club where everyone seemed to gather. The brunette came back over to Steve and seemed to be smiling, "Hey Captain, your face is really red. Are you blushing?" Tony teased trying to poke the taller man's cheeks, but Steve swatted away the hand invading his personal space with ease. "No, I just didn't know that I was that famous..", Steve said with real confusion to his voice, he had thought he had kept his image down low.

"What? Being famous is great! I mean look at me Cap, I am living the good life. Plus, the company that comes with being famous is great," Tony said and his eyebrows went up and down on the word 'company' which confused him. It must have shown on his face when Tony slapped his face and sighed as soon as the sentence left his mouth, "The company I speak of includes women Cap, lots of beautiful high class women." The blonde felt his face burn again and the brunette grinned and said, "What's wrong Cap? Haven't you ever talked to a woman other than Romanov, Peggy, or your mother?"

For a brief moment he remembered a memory he wanted to just disappear. One where his own mother had thrown down a glass bottle on the ground, she had been drunk that day. Back when Steve had lived with his mother and father, though it had only been till he was 10. He already had known that he wasn't a wanted child. His mother had been there everyday to remind him of that and even when his father came and went from their lives, it was obvious to him that his mother hated them both. Brooklyn was a hard town back then and his mother knew that the only way to survive was to stay with her father no matter what he did to her. She used to get drunk and one time she told him everything that he knew and everything he didn't want to hear.

 _'You look so much like that dead beat father of yours...I really hated him...Did you know that Steve? That man is the worst...He beat me like no other and you know what...You're gonna be just like him. Hey Stevie, you wanna know I secret I haven't told anyone...I really hate you. You remind me of him so much. I wish you would just disappear sometimes, one less mouth to feed after all...Guess what Stevie? Love is a waste of time...There is no love in love, they'll just throw you out...If you ever fall in love Stevie, just run away...You are only gonna hurt them, after all, you are just like your father...Well, that's if anyone can love someone like you. Flawed, completely useless, what a joke...'_

Reality was brought back to him in an instant when Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Cap, you wanna sit down? You look a little out of it. Are you running a fever or something? I thought idiots couldn't catch fevers?" Steve quickly removed the hand from his shoulder and said with a smile, "Oh, I am fine. I just was thinking about what you said that's all." Tony gave him a hard look, one that was serious and concerned all in one look and the blonde felt his plastic smile he was putting on fade a little in the presence of such a piercing gaze.

"You're acting strange today," Tony murmured and Steve frowned as he replied a little defensively, "So are you." Both stared at each other for a quiet moment of silence and then the smaller man gave a sigh and had an uneasy smile as he said, "You know what? Let's get a drink." Steve frowned again on a little deeper, "I can't get drunk Tony." Tony smiled and replied with a mischievous look in his eyes, "Well, I still can. You can just eat while I drink AND eat." The blonde wanted to retort something but found no point in saying that drinking was bad anymore. Steve watched as Tony grinned after a moment of silence, perhaps taking silence as consent, and Steve followed the brunette to pub part of the place.

The pub was actually very extravagant and expensive looking, the bottles on the wall were ones that Steve only vaguely recognized as top tier names. Along with stools to the bar there were also tables, it seemed the pub was a restaurant and bar rolled into a high class place of dining. Steve sat down at an empty table for two and Steve seated himself as well, and swiftly, two waitresses came over to their table. One was red haired with brown eyes and the other was blonde with green eyes, both were looking very extremely peppy. They both smiled and practically crooned to Tony, "Welcome back Mr. Stark~! Would you like the usual?"

Tony smiled coyly and said, "You know it except we'll skip desert today. I have a guest with me so you'll have to excuse it this time." Both women looked over at Steve Rogers with wide eyes and they smiled, "Oh, of course! Are you Captain America~!? That's so amazing~! What would you like to eat or drink today Mr. America~?" Steve felt a blush rising from embarrassment, never had he ever been called 'Mr. America'. That was too precocious! It sounded like he was looking down on people! He didn't want that. "Ummm..You can call me Mr. Rogers,...please," the blonde said a little lightly and the girls took it in full stride, "Of course Mr. Rogers~!"

Steve glanced over at Tony and felt his blood pressure rise in anger as he saw him enjoying his embarrassment. "Steve, they can make anything you want here. I am serious, like, anything at all! It's pretty great! Right girls?" Tony commented and the girls nodded, their gazes staring at Tony and Steve thought of what he had been craving lately. "Umm...Can I have...some beef stew if that's possible at all?" shyly Steve looked at them, because beef stew was a hard thing to procure in such a short time frame. He felt embarrassed for even asking for something that difficult but he had been craving it and Tony did say anything so...

"That's great! We'll get you some right away~!" the girls cooed sweetly and smiled brightly with confidence, which completely baffled Steve. As the girls hopped away, Steve leaned over with a pained expression on his face as he asked, "Can they actually make that in such a short amount of time?" Tony smirked and gestured, "Look around this room Cap, the question is at this point is what can't they make?" The blonde had to agree as he looked around the room that it certainly had the aura of possibilities. The table a deep cherry wood with a stunning finish, marble counter tops, and a floor that felt as though you should be sleeping on it rather than walking on its beautiful blue surface, it was definitely a room that encouraged one to go wild.

"Mr. Stark, I have your special drink you requested!" one of the girls from earlier held a big bottle, a little bottle, and two clear shot glasses. Wait, 2 shot glasses? "Wait, what do you mean special drink," the taller man asked casually in confusion and the billionaire just smiled and asked, "Hey Cap, are you sure you can't get drunk?" The question surprised Steve and quickly he replied, "No, but when I drink I feel nothing at all." Tony smirked, "Alright, fair enough. Hey Cap? Wanna have a contest, see who can get drunk first?"

The blonde looked at him blankly and then murmured, "I just told you that is useless Tony." The billionaire stared evenly at the blonde and said, "Okay. Humor me then. I'll drink this though," Tony showed the smaller bottle of a weak strength beer, "While you get to drink shots of this!" The table shuddered as the brunette slammed the bigger bottle on it, and Steve was surprised it didn't shatter on impact with the nice study wood. As the bottle settled, the blonde actually was able to study it more but two things popped out to him, 'Alcohol content 65%' and 'Armageddon'. "Armageddon? Alcohol content is 65%!?" Steve read with a confused and disbelieving look and he saw the billionaire's eyes glint a bit at the word.

"This is the world's strongest beer! If I get drunk before you, then you win." Tony said and Steve clenched his hands in frustration. "Tony, what part of 'I can't get drunk' don't you understand?" Steve asked and Tony replied cooly, "The part where I get drunk even if I am wrong and you get to prove me wrong. Well, that's if you're that confident." Steve felt perturbed at the fact that Tony seemed so easy going, but then again it could be the man was just aiming to get drunk anyway and wanted to drink with someone. "Okay how about we sweeten the deal? What do you want if I am wrong about this?" the brunette asked and Steve paused, what would he even ask for?

After a moment he remembered something perfect for this time, "You have Jarvis measuring our emotion levels and surveillance of us all at the tower. I don't want them on for me." Tony raised an eyebrow casually, "Why? Got something to hide Cap? Is it something dirty?" Steve glared at Tony, but as usually the man took no need of his visual cues and kept prodding, "You can share anything with me! I am being truthful here. You can tell me anything and I would never tell another soul. So, how about you tell me all your secrets that are biting at you and I will tell Jarvis to exclude you from security measures unless there are factual reasons to do so." The blonde felt his face give away his hesitation, but Steve was pretty sure he couldn't get drunk.

"Alright, I'll take your bet Stark, but I feel the need to tell you again that I probably won't get drunk," the blonde commented and then once again he felt uneasy as the brunette smirked as he usually did when he was feeling confident. "Well, I guess we'll see then won't we? Alright, let's have a toast then!" The brunette cracked open the caps on both bottles and poured each of them a shot of them. "What should we toast to?" asked Steve curiously and he held back a smile as Tony's face contorted in a strangely comical way. Then, Tony shrugged, "Well, I will drink to the fact that our hero work has a break!"

Steve nodded to this and said, "I will definitely drink to world peace." As he said that he picked the shot glass and downed the very surprisingly smooth drink in a second. Steve slammed it down and stared at Tony who apparently done the same thing, except it didn't seem to go down as easily as Steve's drink had. The brunette coughed and made a very cringe worthy face as the main spoke roughly, "I forgot this stuff is pretty vile...on the throat. So...was yours any better?" The blonde smiled and replied haughtily, "Yes, it went down smoothly and tasted rather nicer than what I was expecting actually." The billionaire nodded, "Yeah, that's the strongest beer on earth right now."

Steve felt his surprise become visible as he whispered in awe, "Really? Wait! 'Armageddon' means essentially 'the end of the world' right?" The blonde paused as he saw Tony light up the other man grabbing the bottle from his grasp rudely and looking at it with the same awestruck feeling the taller man had felt earlier. "Yep, the age old telling of Dooms day, the good ol' Apocalypse," the billionaire said in jest and seemed to have fun looking at the design on the bottle.

After a moment, Tony handed it back and then the blonde himself looked even closer at the picture on the bottle and instantly was struck at the amazingly plain looking bottle. It was black with white horns (well that's what Steve thought it was, but he wasn't sure), the yellow word 'Armageddon' written in a blood chilling font. Underneath the writing was the sentence, "The World's Strongest Beer", and it made Steve raise an eyebrow, 'Modest much?'. With a quick movement, Steve poured himself another drink and downed the liquid again even quicker as he felt the pleasant burn across his throat.

* * *

The sound of glass filled through the room as an hour passed, the conversation topics changing so quickly that Steve couldn't keep up with it. The blonde found his conversations rather pleasant despite the rapid pace of topics. They were discussing many things that Steve found mind boggling, some technology wise others more political, Tony though actually explained things to Steve instead of leaving him out of the subject. Though, the blonde started to lose more of his wit then he thought, everything was so slow yet so fast but at the same time, it was still a pleasant discussion.

"You know what Tony?" Steve asked casually, he looked over at Tony who had been downing the same amount of drinks he had, but still looked sober as the sunlight. "What?" asked Tony, the man smirking as he followed up his question. "You and I aren't that different," the taller man said a hushed, almost as if realizing it himself as he continued, "We both grew up a little crooked." The pale man watched as Tony's shot glass hit the table top and the man raised an eyebrow, "Oh really, I thought America's boy scout hero grew from the perfect family. All of them leaders of justice in some way or something like that?" That was when Steve gave a dark look and softly whispered, "No, it was nothing like that."

In all honesty, Tony was barely even drunk yet, a few drinks of the stuff he had was barely getting to him. On the other hand, Captain America was obviously getting a little drunker as the evening moved on, it was in his body language. The billionaire saw all the signs that pointed towards his hypothesis that the Captain could get drunk, it just took a bottle of expensive alcoholic beer to do it. It was all there, the slump in his posture, the dazing look, the mild look of confusion, the different demeanor, the rosy cheeks, everything was clear as day to Tony. He had to stop himself from laughing when the Captain started getting all serious. Especially when the pale man started to talk about more personal things, like childhood.

"So what was it like huh? Was it like mine, a father who was a constant drunk workoholic bastard and a mother who was never really home?" asked Tony bitterly feeling that he had the Captain beat in terms of crappy childhoods. "Did she love you?" the question was very hushed and the billionaire looked at the blonde who's blue bored into his, in them was a sorrow unlike any other. "Yeah, I think she did," Tony breathed out, tearing his eyes away from Steve's and the the other replied, "Well, that makes one of us." Then, they were both encased with tension and silence which was broken by the Captain, "Was Howard a violent drunk?"

Tony felt his face warp into disgust at his father's name, but he chose not to comment and just answer, "Not really, he wouldn't hit us, but he would throw things on occasion." The brunette felt the other Avenger staring at him so he decided to ask more because he was now curious. "So your dad was a violent drunk then?" blue eyes stared into him at the question they were hauntingly reminiscently dark and the billionaire found himself grounded, his ears perking to listen over the sounds of their environment. "Funny, the great Tony Stark wants to hear about me when all he ever care about is himself. What a terrible joke," the Captain was distraught as he brought a hand up to his eye and dug it into his blonde hair.

In truth, Tony was somewhat intrigued about Steve, Boy Wonder, pitying himself in front of him. If there was one thing Tony thought he would never see Captain America do, it was wallow in self pity without a reason. Steve had always been some sort of a mysterious elusive character from the comic books until he had come out of his icicle and now Tony knew why, the man never opened up to anyone so this was chance to really learn what made the blonde tick and that was enough to make Tony curious. "Yeah, I do," Tony said firmly raising his eyebrow and the pale man paused and just replied, "fine." The man took a drink before he began to speak plainly, as though he had rehearsed it many times, "Well, to start, I wasn't really wanted in my family. I was a mistake. My father was a street smart thug and my mother well, she was there for the money. Brooklyn was a hard town full of crime back then so to stay safe and live she stuck with him, even if she did hate him. I was born in a town where street smarts kept you alive and if you didn't have any...well you either starved or got shot."

"My mother never liked or loved me, she put up with me because she didn't want to be alone with him. He beat her less when I came in the room, and he never stayed too long, he came and went when he pleased. I apparently looked a lot like him when I was young, so she would hurt me in his place, funny how I didn't die from all the cuts and wounds she gave me some days. One day though, she died going out to get her cigarettes, a shot to the head. I stayed home wondering if my father would even come back. In the end, he didn't come back at all."

"By that point I got shipped off to my Auntie, who happened to own a dance floor. When she was younger she had danced in some pretty amazing places but she got sick and though we didn't know it back then, she had cancer. It was a slow but deadly cancer so she didn't die immediately but she never knew when she would so she quit dancing on the big stage. Then I came along, I was 10 or 11 at the time but I was warped enough from childhood. I wasn't nice like I am now, I was a lot worse, but I had Bucky too. Bucky had been though it all with me...If he hadn't been there, I don't think I would've turned out the same. I would've been irreversibly evil when I came to her."

Throughout the story at this point Tony had noticed all those small details people never noticed about Steve Rogers. The man's body language had always been strange to Tony, it always seemed as though the blonde wanted to help people but not be near them, almost as though he was distancing himself. Now that had always struck Tony as strange, but now he understood, because he did something very similar to that himself. Steve was afraid to let people in, but while Tony felt he would disappoint people when it came to serious matters, Steve was all around feeling like he should have never existed, probably felt like anything related to love was a lie. Tony's mother and father loved each other, but Steve never got to experience any type of love and that hit Tony straight at home. No wonder the guy was a stiff when it came to anything related to what many considered to be fun, the man had only seen the dark things that came from love, alcohol, or flirting with women.

Then suddenly, the brunette saw the man's face change to something like warmth as his voice sounded almost in awe as he started to speak again. "But my Aunt changed all that though when she took me in, she changed my world entirely. She was the one who taught me how to waltz and she danced with me a lot. She was my reason for living and she helped me become who I am. My values, my heart, everything was changed for the better when I met her. I wanted to dance her one last time, but she died too soon. When she died I went with Bucky, we wanted to join the army together and...you know the rest of the story." Tony felt his heart clench as the other man finished his story, they really were more alike than he thought. Everything made him compare himself to Steve and for some reason he felt like he wanted to punch himself for all the things he had done to the blonde.

It was only just now Tony realized the man was really a lost soldier. It all made more sense now, there was a reason for why he was easily embarrassed, his trust issues, his need to hide problems, his need to berate Tony on everything he did, Steve's environment was the reason, not the man's attitude or personality. The brunette felt as though he had just ran into an obvious brick wall and he felt stupid now that everything was so clear. "I think you might've been right," Tony looked up to see the Captain nursing the shot glass in his hand, who's blue eyes never left it, "I...am probably saying stupid things so I...think...I think I may be drunk." Steve finished with a sheepish smile and then turned to the other man with a blinding smile that made Tony's face heat slightly at its intense genuine charm.

"I guess I gotta tell you a secret right?" the blonde was absolutely clearly drunk and Tony felt himself think of all kinds of things that he could ask, all the way from dirty questions to deeper thought provoking ones. He settled on the question he had planned to ask earlier, "So, what's been bugging you Steve? I don't mean normal type stuff, I am talking about the nightmares you've been having." That smile that was on the Captain's face disappeared quickly enough as Tony expected but what he didn't expect was what Steve did. Steve looked from side to side nervously and then looked very pained as he spoke, "I don't want to talk about it." Tony lifted an eyebrow and then stood up quickly, "Then how about when we return to the tower. You owe me a secret and I don't really care if we are here or not so let's go back."

The brunette watched as the blonde waited a moment, nodded, and then stood up to follow behind him back to the limo that was parked out front for his convenience. "Are you sure you're not drunk enough to throw up, because I really don't want you upchucking over my favorite car." Tony smirked as Steve's panicky look turned to one of indignation as he shouted, "I will not!" The brunette smiled and retorted as they slid into their seats, "You know what Steve? You act like a kid when you're drunk." The blonde's face on closer inspection was a cherry red and the man seemed dazed. "What's up Cap, you going on a space ride or something?"

The blonde man's stellar blue eyes were square on him, hazed, but clearly looking at him. "You called me by my name," Steve mumbled slightly and Tony's brows furrowed in confusion. "I did?" asked the billionaire and the other man startled him with the brightest smile at him. Tony's heart doing a little jump at the sight and nice words that came out of his mouth, "You never said my name before….It sounded nice coming from you...Can you say it again...Just one more time?"

The words were soft and pleading, those blue eyes tempting him to do some kind of sin to the blonde, and since he was slightly drunk he even considered it. What the Captain said was true though, he had never really called the man by his name, he had always avoided it, but never really noticed till now. Saying his name out loud now made the situation more real. "Steve, you're drunk," the brunette said plainly and the other man smiled and leaned closer when he smiled, "Yep, all thanks to you! Nat will probably gut you for it though." Steve laughed while Tony let out a smile, he decided he liked drunk Steve, he was probably a mood driven drunk, but the cheery side was so different from how the Captain acted normally.

Then, all of a sudden, the Captain's laughter died down in a rush and the other man's furrowed his brows. They sat in the still tense silence for a while until the taller man started to speak, "You said you wanted...to know about my nightmare right?" The blonde said, flopping against the stark red seats on the other side of the limo, Steve hid his face in pillow and layed down on the comfy bedding. Tony could see the slight way the man deflated as he sunk deeper into the seats, probably falling asleep. "Yeah, I noticed your emotional patterns in your brain going off on Jarvis' radar and I want to know why you have been so down looking today like it's the end of the world." The billionaire noticed the other man cringing at the words.

"Well,-" "-Sir, we have arrived back at the tower," Said the driver, interrupting their conversation and Tony noted that the moment the driver spoke, Steve had jumped at his voice. "Alright, let's get inside and talk when we get up there alright?" Tony eased toward the very drunk man, Steve seemed to register as he nodded, maybe he was even sobering up a little with all their serious talking. The blonde let himself be pushed by the billionaire toward the building and into its grand doors. The place was quiet as most of the staff had departed for the day and Tony went straight to the elevator with the Captain in tow. Both were silent as they went through the emotions, Tony though felt the silence was actually comfortable. He could tell the other was deep in thought as he tossed a casual look behind him in the elevator to see the blonde watching the floor intently and surprisingly the man met Tony's eyes once and quickly looked away again.

"So, are you gonna tell me?" Tony asked, somewhat curious if the righteous Captain America would fold on their promise. The billionaire chanced a glance backward and saw the other man's blue eyes burning into his own brown ones with vibrant life, completely different from the glance he had received earlier. Steve was definitely sober now, there was no doubt in Tony's mind. The taller man grabbed his right arm with left hand and seemed to shrink slightly. "I...I don't know...," Tony wasn't entirely surprised at the response, even Captain America with all his righteousness and decisiveness has doubts. Tony understood it though, so he decided to see if he couldn't push Captain America a little more.

"My nightmares are about this," The brunette said, his fingers brushed over the fabric above his arc reactor, the blue light that pooled through were shadowed by his fingers. He looked at his fingers and felt himself shiver slightly, it was a bit odd for him to have nightmares but when he did it usually consisted of his arc reactor, his metal heart. He looked over at the blonde, wondering if the man even heard him at all and to his joy he had. The man's blue eyes stared at his fingers, seemingly entranced but at the same time Tony saw them look somewhat curious almost earnestly at his arc reactor. He could understand why anyone would be amazed or at the very least frightened but the taller man looked at it in curiosity.

"Why?" Tony was caught off guard by the question and responded on instance, "What?" Tony was dumbfounded by the man's question, but the bright blue's stared straight at him in the eyes and came somewhat closer, pointing at his arc reactor. "You were brought back into a world you belong in, you are able to change the world with your skills Tony. It saved you, why on earth would you fear it?" Steve asked, his eyes darker as he stared at Tony's core with intensity as though he was gauging it for something. "Really now?" The billionaire asked, his eyebrow arched and Steve nodded back at Tony. "Do you wanna touch it or something, because you keep staring at it," Tony remarked and somehow he knew what the answer would be from the drunk Steve.

"Can I really touch it?" The blonde asked and Tony rethought over the proposition, "only after you tell me your nightmares!" The brunette made the line very clear and he almost saw the other man pout. The elevator dinged as they reached the Avengers level, the door opened silently and Tony watched as Steve led them to the couches next to the huge TV where the blonde had been asleep earlier that morning. Both men settled onto it, Tony leaning back and Steve looking down at the floor with his hands together. The brunette felt slightly impatient and threw a glance at Steve, waiting for the man to start.

"Um...My nightmares aren't crazy different from anyone else. I just dream about things you'd expect, the time in the army, childhood, and people that are...gone now," the words were left in the air and instantly he knew who Steve was talking about, or rather whom. Both stayed silent for a moment, "Bucky and Peggy right?" The blonde's fists clenched together and he looked slightly away from Tony, a small yes from the man answering his question. The Captain tended to surprise Tony, but he had to watch as the taller man seemed to shrink in front of him and started to shake badly. It had just started with a small thing, a small nervous bouncing of the leg that transformed into a full on body tremble.

Then, the billionaire heard the noise, a small sniffle from Captain America, "Are you crying?" Tony asked the question in awe, it seemed that drunk Steve showed more emotions to him. The other man didn't answer and then the smaller man saw a few sparkling drops fall from his chin, even though the Captain had hidden his face, he could not hide the tears. Tony could honestly say he had no idea what to do, "Were the nightmares that bad?" All Tony could do was sit there as Steve started to talk, the man's hands going up to his face. "I can't take it…All I see is them, the old Bucky…Peggy…Howard…Hydra…My mother…my father…all of them are in my nightmares! I can't escape! They are always there and the blood! The blood…"

Steve's voice cracked as he held his hands outward as though he were watching them, watching some bloody vision. Tony scooted closer and as he got close enough to see Steve's face, he froze again. There was full blown terror in his eyes, it was similar to a man on drugs, his pupils dilated, and his breaths coming faster. The tears were still visible, his blue wide eyes never leaving his own hands, and it was easy to see that he was entranced. The brunette reached outward tentatively, worried that he would startle Steve, but the blonde seemed to not even see him at all. He touched his hand and squeezed it, the small action doing nothing to the blonde who was stock still. "Captain, you gotta stop punishing yourself," Tony said and he felt his own life flash before his eyes, he could see all the times where he punished himself, at least until Pepper brought him back from that dark place.

'Someone needs to do that for you, bring you back after being stuck in the darkness. It's probably a lot worse for you, so I guess I will bring you back,' Tony sighed as the thought interjected his logic. His brain was telling him to leave Steve here, but Tony knew he wasn't able to choose that option. He just didn't have the heart, or rather the arc reactor, to leave Steve now, not when he looked so much like he did in the past. Tony looked up at Steve and was surprised to see the other man looking back at him. Those blue eyes glistened as they stared at him, his own eyes getting lost in the captain's sweet blue ones. Tony felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of him, his hand that was touching the paler hand started to burn slightly at the touch, inching to move.

"I'm not punishing myself...I am just..," The blonde sputtered and looked down at Tony's hand with a crestfallen look as his other hand gently placed on top of the billionaire's, completely encasing Tony's hand in Steve's hand, the hands squeezing together subtly. "I am just afraid of losing everything all over again. I am scared that everyone I know now will disappear or change like Bucky did. I am afraid and I- I just hate it so much! I want to be with everyone, because...I feel so fucking alone! Damn it...Damn it... I'm sorry...Please just forget I said any of that! I'm fine you know! I'll be okay..," said Steve and the man started to cry again, Tony felt the wet liquid fall onto his arm and watched some fall on Steve's hand that held his tightly like a woman in labor.

He understood him, the brunette remembered feeling like that before, he remembered how he compared himself to poison, something people were afraid to touch, but during those he would drink or have some sex to cope with the feeling. It was obviously that Steve had had neither of those to rely on, the man had just lived with his problems and he never cried or whined about it to any of them. Guilt settled in his stomach so he had to somehow change it. He wanted the darned feeling to go away, and he needed to help Steve. "It's not your fault Cap, really it isn't. We are a bunch of super heroes, while the rest of us are zipping around doing our own thing we kinda forget about everything else. We should be the ones apologizing, not you. Don't you dare blame yourself for being human Cap," Tony was glad his voice didn't shake as he spoke, because this topic was very ironic coming from him that even Steve would laugh off.

"No...I am not even human anymore, I am just a science experiment. Just like the first time we met, 'everything that makes you special came from a bottle'. I remember you saying that Tony and you were right on that. Everyone else in the Avengers deserves to live happily, even you Tony, even if you don't believe me...but me, I'm not even a hero! I am just...a burden to you all," the blonde finished and suddenly Tony grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and shook him slightly to where the other man was shocked.

"You are not a damn burden Rogers! You're a hero! I was wrong about you, because I didn't know anything back then. Now that I know you, I think you are more than a hero! Every hero strives to be like you, because you have the courage that many of us don't. You face your fears and are stronger than all of us! You don't have to fly around or use super powers to be a hero, Cap," The billionaire said exasperatedly and he felt his stomach flutter when the blue eyes widened and a blush spread on the man's already flushed face. "Really," the bigger man asked, his eyes seeming to search his endlessly. "Yeah, you are the golden boy for a reason Cap, it's probably cause you have a big freaking heart of gold," the billionaire muttered as he let go of his shoulders.

"Tony?" asked Steve after a few moments of silence, and the other man looked over at the blonde who was laying languidly on the couch next to him looking somewhat happy after being complimented, "What?" The other man smiled a weird smile, "I think I am drunk." Tony 'hmm'ed in response as he watched the other man look over at him again, their eyes meeting in a weird moment of peace. "Hey Cap," said Tony after a moment and Steve also 'hmm'ed in response. "We aren't going to disappear," the brunette replied softly and that caught Steve's attention as the man turned again towards him. His eyes were almost regretful as he said, "Oh no, you guys have before. Just this time you decided to appear before me Tony and not disappear to your lab."

He looked down at the couch and softly smiled, "This is the first time I have talked to somebody for so long that I have to thank you. It makes me remember how nice it is to have someone to talk to or have fun with. Especially being able to dance again without hating myself...you made me want to dance again. You made me remember the feeling that I used to have when I did, the feeling of caring and being cared for. Even if it is just for a silly reason like covering up a lie...I want to thank you...thanks for being with me...Tony... " The blonde started drifting off into sleep, his eyes slipping shut as he sank into the couch.

It wasn't a sudden action, but Tony was amazed at the slow progressive nature of sleep in Steve. The Captain was out like a light and the billionaire found himself getting to be about the same way as he felt himself sink into the sweet oblivion of sleep. His thoughts were speaking to him loud and clear, he wanted to be able to dance with Steve tomorrow, not just tomorrow, but more. He briefly remembered the way that Steve had danced with Natasha and he felt a pang in his heart when he remembered the expression that the taller man had when they had danced across his ballroom floor.

In his mind, he couldn't forget that face of bliss almost as though the Captain had experienced something wonderful. The peaceful face that the blonde had now was soft andhappy, perhaps he would even sleep well. Without a thought, Tony reached a hand out to Steve's face, his hand caressing the curve of his cheek, and Tony was amazed at how soft the chiseled face was. "Hey Cap," Tony asked and waited a moment and continued when no answer came from the sleeping form, "I won't disappear anymore, now that I know someone needs me...My family never needed me and Pepper and Rhodey could live a whole lot better without me, you know? They just have everything they need and I only give them trouble...Same with my parents."

Tony waited for a moment, an sign that Steve was listening, but there was none so he continued with conviction, "I wonder Steve, do you even need me? Do the Avengers need me? I want to stay with all of you, because I know how bad it feels, to be so alone to the point where you think it's better to just...disappear. I just thought I was doin' everyone a favor, but you and the others, you all live the same type of life as me. Some of us want to just go away and hide but people like you Steve, you're different. You are still searching for people even though you have people who have either left you, gone, or died. You're still strong enough to want to be with people...I don't even deserve the sympathy of others, because I am just a jackass."

Tony felt his lip wobble slightly at his own words and his eyes sting with his holding back of his tears. He reached up to brush them away when he felt a light touch and he looked to see that Steve had touched his arm with his hand and was looking at him vaguely. The pale hand grabbed his wrist and the man started to nod off again, but before he did, he said words that the billionaire would never forget, "You're not a bad person Tony. You may be hard to understand, but I feel I am starting to. You're just scared, like me, but I promise...I won't...leave you Tony. I need you...We all need you...so please," the Captain said and watched as the man looked at him with sad sleepy eyes and the man nodded off again, his hand slipping from his wrist, "Don't..leave me...alone...again...I was so...so..alone."

Then, the brunette was sure the blonde was asleep, his breathing evened out and Tony still sat in shock. He wanted to ask him why he said all those things, but he couldn't help but to start falling asleep. His eyes drooped pleasantly and his head started to clear. 'Sleeping here wouldn't be that bad. Plus, he told me not to leave him alone, and no one else will be here tomorrow.' that settled Tony's argument for sleeping next to Steve. "Jarvis," the billionaire asked softly and Jarvis spoke back softly, "Yes sir?"

"Can you please cancel all my appointments tomorrow," Tony responded and Jarvis responded back, "I would advise against it, but I will tell them sir." "Thanks Jarvis, good night," Tony said and Jarvis bid him a goodnight as well. The brunette felt himself slide so that he would be laying downwards flat on his back, while Steve stayed upright. The night made him sleep and he wondered briefly how Steve would deal with his hangover when he hadn't had one for a long time. It made for a nice dream as he slept into the night, and he smiled slightly as he remembered the blonde's words.

 _"I won't leave you Tony. I need you."_

* * *

 **Aryes: Yay! I hope you guys liked this chapter! It was definitely long~! If you have any advice or something that would help the plot along let me know :) You guys keep me going! Thank you for reading this chapter~!**

 **~Aryes**


	4. Chapter 4: Can You Tango?

**Aryes: Hi guys, really tired today~, I brought you a long chapter of Dance With Me. We are halfway there guys, 8 chapters in all! :) I am excited and tired, mostly tired right now, but i hope you enjoy it :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers**

 **WARNING: YAOI (BOY X BOY) STUFF HERE ! ALSO TALK OF SEXUALITY, IF YOU HAVE READ ALL THE OTHER CHAPTERS, I ASSUME THIS IS A GOOD CHAPTER.**

 **ANYWAY~ HAVE FUN~**

Step 3: Waking up and Falling Down

That night Steve found himself sleeping well and even dreaming peaceful. The night terrors that usually plagued his mind were nowhere to be found and the blonde was indeed thankful as his dreams consisted of dancing away on clouds, but strangely his partner whom he danced with was shadowed in darkness. His partner was shorter than him but had a strong grip around his hips that felt too firm for a female so Steve guessed it was a male. Everything pointed to the figure being Tony but the way they were dancing the waltz was wonderfully perfect and that made him doubt that it was Tony. Tony hadn't even danced the waltz properly yet, but Steve couldn't help feeling that it was indeed Tony Stark he was dancing with.

His partner was dancing with him upon the clouds, jumping gracefully from one to the other, the figure leading him in the dance like a professional. The blonde felt slightly embarrassed and flushed because he almost felt inadequate to dance with the figure. The sky around them was a mellowed yellow as though it was the afternoon, almost looking orange in the sky. It felt like hours they had dance, but Steve felt that the moment he let go that the dream would disappear and so would the figure that made him so happy. It was silent in the dream almost like a black and white movie, but their dance felt like no conversation was needed.

His excitement was smiling through as he laughed when the man jumped a farther jump to the cloud across and landed on the edge. This was the end of their dance it seemed when the figure separated himself from the blonde and Steve made a sad smile, knowing that when he woke up he would have a normal day again at the Stark tower, alone again. Steve's face dropped at the thought, but it was not his place to cause the shadowy figure any trouble. Though the shadow didn't move which puzzled Steve until the shadow disappeared, leaving only a Tony Stark in its place. Those brown eyes staring straight at his own.

Steve was only slightly shocked at the sight of the shadows flying away, he wasn't even phased at the fact the man underneath was Tony. He did feel a slight warmth in his heart at the sight though, perhaps he had already known it was him and had just denied it. He couldn't tell you either because in that moment the dream started to fade, the clouds disappearing and a smile on Tony's face was the one thing that he would wake up remembering. The sight was wonderful and as the dream dissipated he felt warmth.

The warmth was on his skin as his eyes fluttered open to be blinded by the light of the sun, everything in the room was bright enough to cause Steve to wince. Then, there was the feeling of soft air on his face that was startling, Steve tried to open his eyes again and this time it was easier to see as he shifted upward into a better sitting position. He tried to pinpoint what or who had breathed on him and was surprised to see the form of Tony Stark, the billionaire, sleeping on the couch. Instantly, Steve clamped a hand on his face to stop himself from laughing loudly from the scene. All that came out were a few shakes and a red face, because he could not completely erase the scene from his mind. He glanced again and was taken in by the sleeping form of Stark, never had he seen the man so relaxed in his life.

In truth, Steve was surprised at the way he had awaken, both of them had slept very closely and the blonde wondered what would have happened if Tony had woken up first. That thought made him frown, Tony would have pranked him in some way or done something else that was malicious, but the blonde would have found the situation more amusing if Tony had done something like that to him. Maybe he could do something like a prank to Tony? Steve smiled at the thought and his mind raced to ideas he could do. In his younger days, the only time he had ever pranked someone was when he had been in the army and it was moreover that he was the one everyone pranked before he got the super serum in him.

He walked over to the kitchen because he had heard that all good ideas come to one in a kitchen so he glanced around and marveled at the kitchen. Then there was something that caught his eyes, the ice maker, ice! Steve smiled cheekily and glanced across the room to the figure who was laying cluelessly asleep on the couch. Oh yes, revenge would be served cold. The blonde opened the cabinet underneath and got a huge bowl and filled it full of ice then proceeded to fill it with water too. Steve could hardly stop himself from laughing at the way Tony would wake up from a night of drinking. He walked over quietly behind the couch and slowly started to pour the watered down ice bowl onto Tony's exposed lap and he was surprised when the man hardly moved, he was only rewarded with a hitch in breath.

Steve made a face to show his disappointment so he decided to completely pour the whole thing, and the billionaire definitely reacted. "WOAH! WHAT THE HELL! WATER?!" Tony yelled, that did the trick. Steve couldn't help as a loud boisterous laughter erupted from his throat at the outburst by the other man. He could hardly breathe as the brunette seemed to be in disbelief at his actions, and that just made it more funny in Steve's opinion. "Cap! You are so dead!" the brunette yelled as the man ran around the couch and with a bubbly laughter the blonde ran as fast as he could to the hallway. He couldn't even talk at all as he ran for his life, the other man was directly behind him, despite being lethargic most of the time Tony could run! How on earth could he catch up to him! He was supposed to be the one that had super serum!

"Cap!" The sound came from behind him and Steve let out a high pitched scream he would later deny when the other man tackled him to the carpet. "How! How did you catch me?" Steve managed to say and the other man had already let go and had rolled over on the ground to catch his breath, he was more breathless than him. It took them both awhile to breathe properly, but when he did, Steve started laughing again in louder volume. "Your face! You should have seen it! You were so shocked!" Steve panted out through laughter and Tony made a very cross face that made him laugh even more!

"I will get you back for that soon," Tony foreboded and the blonde chuckled loudly in response and conceded that indeed it would only be fair, "Sure, sure!" The laughter died down and the taller male got up and brushed off his pant and realized he was wearing the same clothes as last night. "I can't believe it," Steve breathed out with a smile on his face and Tony faced him, "what?" The blonde stared out toward the windows, the morning light illuminating the room as he spoke, "I actually slept well for once."

"Hell, I am surprised that you don't have a hangover! You drank so much! Maybe the serum doesn't let hangovers happen? I am jealous of that healing factor for sure now," Tony grumbled and Steve smirked at that comment.

"Why not stop drinking Tony?" asked Steve and the brunette made a disapproving face at the other, "Yeah right, I'll do that the same day you stop saving kittens off the side of the road." Steve didn't retort but simply walked into the kitchen and sighed, "So you'll never stop drinking?" The brunette smirked and replied haughtily, "Nope." The blonde opened up the fridge and pulled out the eggs and other ingredients. Tony went to the coffee maker and turned it on with a flip of a switch and he walked over to a drawer and pulled out some aspirin and a water bottle downing the pills easily. No words were said, but Steve felt the other man watching him cook from behind and felt he had to remark. "Are you wanting some," asked Steve and he heard the other man reply, "You were already making me some anyway right?"

He sighed and didn't answer because it was true, he already was making food for the billionaire who was probably either leaning against the kitchen sink or sitting on the bar stool behind the counter on the other side, watching him nonetheless. "So, are you busy today," Steve asked in a probing manner, hoping that the man would stop staring at him so intensely. "No, Jarvis cancelled my appointments so I think today is a good day to catch up on yesterday's missed practice," Tony said, but Steve couldn't believe that the man said it so he turned to look at the other in disbelief. The other man gave him a frustrated look, "What? I already said I need to learn before the dance party so I need to catch up and I'm guessing you are free today too right?"

"Yes, I am," the reply was not a saddened tone but rather sounded excited which surprised himself. Was he too excited? He felt self-conscious about the way he responded to the point where he couldn't even look at Tony. The question was why was he so excited about Tony becoming serious with his dancing? It honestly didn't matter right now, because he needed to focus on cooking the breakfast that was now almost going to get too brown! Quickly, Steve turned to flip the over easy eggs he was making for the sandwich when he heard the fridge getting opened. The blonde turned to see Tony getting out a freezer pack, wrapping it in a wash rag then putting it on his forehead. "Are hangovers really bad for you Tony?" asked Steve curiously, he hadn't really had one except for one time and it hadn't been that bad.

The brunette gave him the dirtiest look in the world as he whispered out in a raspy voice, "Yeah, they are more terrible than getting kicked in the nuts." Steve gave a disapproving look at the comment, but sighed before replying logically, "then don't drink as much alcohol then." Tony sighed and walked over to the bar stool behind the counter, seating himself then lying his head down in with no reply, which was odd, but who was Steve to question the billionaire's weird quirks? The man obviously was not feeling good and the blonde couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty about the fact that he couldn't share the brunette's pain, so he made an egg sandwich for each of them. He set them gently where Tony was sitting and poured out coffee in a cup and put the cream and sugar next the cup while he poured out some orange juice and then a cup of water.

He set the cup of water by Tony, who hadn't moved since he had laid his head down, and he put the glass of orange juice to the right of Tony. He grabbed his plate and carried around to the chair next to the billionaire's seat and he sat down before realizing that Tony's head was now raised. The brown eyes staring evenly at the breakfast laid out in front of him, unmoving and pretty much unwilling to make any motion forward. Steve quietly reached over, watching as Tony's eyes flickered to the moving pale hand that moved the cup of coffee forward for consumption. The brown eyes whipped to look at Steve's, but the blonde refused to meet his gaze and instead opted to start eating his food.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping me away from bad decisions like caffeine and alcohol Cap? You actually are becoming a bad influence on me," Tony snickered out with a shrewd smile, but the small movement seemed to pain the man, because he quickly took a sip of the coffee. The man grimaced as he put the cup down and reached for the cream and the sugar, Steve was already almost done with half his sandwich. The blonde was actually a little disappointed with himself at the present, the egg lacked some flavors he usually had in them, but it was better than nothing. "Oh no Tony, you were the one who started drinking and started the coffee maker. I am not at fault for that, your own decisions," his normal scolding lacking bite or volume, because it truth he did feel a little guilty about making the man wake up so suddenly in the morning.

"Where would I be without Captain Obvious?" asked Tony with little to no bite, but the blonde responded with a smile, "Lost in a sea of confusion and bad decisions Tony." The comment was obviously not been what Tony had been expecting and Steve couldn't help the smile that made its way to his face from the other's shocked face. The shocked face turning into one of pure exhilarating joy and Tony started to laugh even though it obviously hurt him. "Cap, you're killing me here!" Tony exclaimed in pain, but there was obvious mirth in the voice so the blonde wasn't really offended. In fact, Steve would say he was proud that he could make the other man laugh like that, it was infectious as well when Steve join in with a small chuckle and a smile.

"Mmm...thank god for egg sandwiches and coffee," the billionaire murmured to himself and the blonde silently agreed with him as he took another bite from his sandwich and drank a gulp of orange juice, because vitamin C is important. Well, he doesn't really need it, but he liked to think he was a healthy person in his eating habits, at least in the morning. Steve smiled when he glanced over at Tony who ate like he had an iron stomach and he chuckled when the shorter man hastily started to take off the crust from the sandwich. He received a glare, but the taller man couldn't help but laugh even more at the pouting look. Steve realized that this was probably the happiest he had been since being unfrozen, he felt warm, content, and best of all, he slept without having a nightmare. Steve quickly got a drink of orange juice and felt his cheeks with one of his hands and was genuinely surprised with their warmth, it was nice.

Tony felt like hell when he got hungover, he always knew what would happen when he picked up a drink of some kind. He always woke up with a killer headache, a hunger pang, and an extreme form of laziness, terrible combination if you asked him. Today was different, Tony woke up by the horrid sound of his own screams, he woke up soaking with ice water and ice cubes on his crotch. He had been so shocked by the fact that he was cold that he didn't notice the culprit laughing maniacally behind him. He didn't even register that he had a terrible headache when he saw Captain America smiling and laughing at his pain. There was only one option at the time, go and get his attacker and make him pay.

"Cap, you are so dead!" Tony had cried out at the other when he stood, the ice cubes had fell off and away from his pants as he started to run after Steve. The taller man ran so fast that Tony had to use all he had to catch the blonde, his own smile matching the Captain's when they both hit the floor with the sweet sound of Cap's bubbly laughter. Then, him getting a drink of coffee and a sandwich from the blonde, it almost felt like a dream. The blonde was so out of character this morning that it almost made Tony feel that way, well until Steve had made the comment about his drinking decisions. The billionaire knew that this was the real Steve, but this Steve was different, happy and fun. The small man decided he liked the other man's new attitude, maybe drinking for the first time in forever did that to people.

In fact, Tony would say that it probably helped Steve get a good night's sleep for once, maybe this was how Steve was before he got stuck in the iceberg? If that was the case, Tony guessed that Cap was actually a popular guy with people back then, which as usual, made him curious. "Hey Cap," asked Tony as he finished uncrusting his bread slices, he hated the crust. The blonde had been drinking orange juice when he asked, the other setting down the glass to answer, "hmm?" Tony's lips hitched slightly at the very modern way Steve answered, he was getting used to the future. "Were you a popular guy before you froze over?" asked Tony curiously, watching with subtle amusement as Steve almost coughed up the bite he just from his sandwich, "huh?"

"Well, I am just a little curious about what you were like before you froze over," Tony stated, but he watched as Steve looked a little uncomfortably at him. "You want to know what I was like before? What brought up the subject?" the question seemed defensive so Tony teased the other slightly, "As I said before," Tony drawled before he finished, "I am just curious." The blonde looked at him dubiously in silence so Tony added, "Fine, how about I answer a question, then you do. Fair trade right?" The blonde's blue eyes glimmered a little and Tony could tell he had him hooked when Steve responded, "Any question?" Tony smirked and had to tease the man a little more, "Yes, any question and i'll answer it honestly, cross my heart." Steve made a face and said, "You don't have a heart though."

That initiated another bellow of laughter from Tony, another gold star for Cap's jokes today, he was on a roll! "You get the point Captain Obvious, I answer honestly and you do the same and the game continues till we run out of questions to ask," Tony said and he could see the other getting nervous. In truth, Tony had nothing to lie about, he was pretty open about things, and pretty much admitted the hardest things in their discussion last night. Steve on the other hand had to answer honestly and Tony was going to have fun with this. Steve started by answering his question from earlier though, after he agreed to play the game. "Before I was frozen, I wasn't popular at all other than the fact that I was famous in the army, no one really was my friend except for Bucky, Peggy, Howard and well...the man who helped me to become a hero." The end of the sentence made the other man paused and Tony assumed that meant the end of his answer.

There was an evil glint in Cap's eyes that alerted Tony when the other asked, "Out of all the Avengers, which is your least favorite person and why?" Tony held back a laugh, so Steve was a gossip type of person? Well, Tony would say that that was technically two questions, but the blonde looked really earnestly at him. He had to think for a moment based on some things, If you had asked him a few weeks ago he would've said Captain America, but currently, he could find more disturbing things about the others. He finally found his answer after a moment of deep soul searching.

"Ms. Romanov, because I can't tell what she's thinking at all. She has this very bored look all the time or it's serious, it bugs me." Tony answered and he could see that the taller man was holding off commenting on his opinions. Tony wanted to quickly distract him again, "Who's your least favorite Avenger then?" The other stopped cold for a second and took a moment to think, a little too long in Tony's opinion.

"Come on Cap, this shouldn't be that hard," the brunette groaned in boredom after 3 minutes and the other glared before finally answering, "Clint, because he laughs when I get confused about new stuff, like technology and references." Tony hummed slightly at the answer, he could understand that. Clint wasn't the nicest person especially when it came to being a superior in a subject. He liked to show off and brag, which is why Clint was #2 on his Least Favorable Avengers list. Tony took a sip of his coffee and enjoyed the fact that it now had sugar and cream in it. It really hit the spot when he was dealing with hangovers, today was going rather well though.

"Tony, would you get a dog or a cat?" asked Steve and Tony gave him a blank look, "Really Cap? Dog or cat? I would choose cat though because I don't trust myself to keep a dog alive." There was a guilty look from Steve as Tony said the last part, it was a good point, and then the brunette jumped joyously as it was his turn. "You see Steve, in this situation you ask embarrassing stuff like...hmm-AH! If you had a chance to kiss a random stranger who was disease free, would you do it?" Tony asked with a smirk and just as the billionaire predicted the other man looked shocked and embarrassed all at once, it was great. "Tony! That's not a fair question!" Steve tried to argue, but that was a weak argument, "Really Cap? You said any question, so you have to answer it truthfully! I don't judge so it's okay!"

That didn't stop the other man's embarrassment about the question at all, then there was silence because the blonde was thinking about it very seriously. "Yes, I would," Steve replied after a moment and the brunette's eyebrows arched in surprise, he had been guessing the opposite answer, but the bigger man had surprise him all day this morning. Steve's blue eyes stared at Tony with determination, but the blonde's face told a different story when it turned red from obvious embarrassment, "Do you like to bed with women or men more?" Tony smirked as he saw the Captain turn to take another bite of his sandwich to try and avoid his gaze.

"Well," Tony started but paused, because he had to think, this was actually seriously hard to answer, "I guess right now, I would say they serve different purposes. Well, more like, when I am angry or I am frustrated, I usually find a guy, but other times I get women. I have more fun with men though personally, things can get rougher and you can switch positions easier, plu-" The blonde's hands came upward to stop the brunette who stared grinning at the blonde, "-okay, I get it Tony. I just wanted the question answered I didn't want a whole explanation, plus the way you were wording it sounded wrong!" The billionaire looked over at Steve with a curious expression, "What do you mean?" The blonde took another drink of his orange juice till he finished it, "Do you just toss people aside like that? It seems just cruel, you even said that they 'served different purposes'. You're just using them and throwing them away when they don't work for you anymore."

Tony made a displeased face and then retorted, "They all understood the rules Cap. I didn't trick them into bed with me, I was frank from the beginning with them so they chose to come with me knowing that they very well would probably not see me again." The brunette sighed and ate another bite from his sandwich, his eyes whipping over to see how the Captain took his words, but the man had actually stood up to take the plates and put them in the sink. "I guess it is partially their own faults then, but…" Steve started and the brunette saw the sadness in the other's body language and felt a stab of guilt at his heart, his face grimacing slightly. "Alright," Tony said aloud, but mainly for himself, "What is your favorite thing about future so far?"

Blue eyes stared at him for a moment and a smile went across his face, "I think it's a lot different in hygiene and I really am happy about that for sure, but…I think the fact that I am still needed by people and have people now who are like me, people who want something better for this world and are becoming heroes. The Avengers are my favorite thing, the fact that we exist together and have a purpose together, helping people and saving the world." Tony felt his heart pound faster in his ears when those blue eyes looked at him with a genuine smile, "You especially for letting me live here and learn more about the world as it is now. Is it okay that I consider this place home now?" Tony let out a laugh, he didn't know exactly why, but it felt good. Good that Steve actually liked the Stark tower to call it his home, "Yeah. That's why I said you can stay here for as long as you wish. It's no skin off my nose!"

Steve looked a little shocked by the comment so Tony clarified, "It's an expression to say it's no problem." The blonde smirked a little embarrassingly and giggled as he said, "Oh, I really didn't know what that meant." The billionaire nodded understandingly as he finished off his sandwich and lifted his empty plate to Steve across from him, who took it and started to rinse it off without any words. Tony started to hum as he waited for Captain to ask him a question back, the wait was sorta killing him. "Your turn Cap," Tony reminded the man and the blonde looked up from the dishes and made a face that Tony perceived as deep in thought. "Okay, why did you tell Ms. Potts that you could dance the waltz when you can't?" Steve asked and Tony made a face at the words, 'Ms. Potts'. "Can't believe you call Pepper Ms. Potts, she would be so angry at that," said the brunette with a small laugh, but Steve smiled a little smugly when he spoke, "I've called her that and she tells me that it's the most respect she's ever gotten from one of the Avengers."

Tony's brown eyes widened to a comical size as he stared at Steve and said, "No way, she was just being nice. She tells me that she gets freaked out by it, because it makes her seem like an old widow." The blonde made a sad face at that, "I guess I'll quit calling her that, things in the future are very different." Steve sounded frustrated, but more like a lazy frustration, Tony laughed. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Blue eyes stared at him for a long period of time and then he remembered his question, "Oh yeah, the reason I said I could dance was because she thinks I can't do anything. I wanted to sound like I could do something for once, plus she has other things to worry about other than how well I can dance. Pepper likes to just cut me down when she can Cap! She likes to do that so much at every little thing that I swear she gets off on it!"

The captain looked at him strangely and then asked, "Get off on it? What do you mean?" Tony smiled and laughed into the counter hiding his face from the Captain with his hands. Steve seemed distressed at his response which made his laughter ten times harder to quell, he couldn't stop laughing. The blonde's innocence was too much sometimes, so Tony decided to have some fun with it. After his laughing finally ceased he looked up to see a peeved Steve staring at him with a pout, he almost laughed again at his face. "Well Cap," Tony started out then just went with it, "making fun of me just might be her fetish or something? Do you even know what fetish is?" The taller male was confused again and Tony explained it even plainer, "Okay, basically, she could probably masturb-"

"AHHH! NO, I GET IT! You can stop now, I understand now, just stop," Steve cut in with a reddening face as he turned away from the billionaire towards the cabinets and he heard the sound of Tony laughing hysterically behind him. His face got even redder and Tony could see the tops of his ears getting hot, it made Tony feel the urge to torture the man even further. "Do you really get it?" Tony asked and Steve snapped back with a glare from a reddened face, "Yes, yes, I get it now. No more explanations needed!" Tony smirked and continued on, "Jeez, Cap. No need to be so stiff about it, it's the 21st century now~! It's as common as talking about the weather-"

"-I don't care Tony. Just ask your question already," Steve tried persuading Tony but Tony wouldn't let up that easily, nope, he was much too nosy for his own good. Plus, the blonde was such an interesting topic, especially when it came to dirty things, his reactions were truly priceless. "Are you a virgin," asked the brunette and Steve seemed to give him a nasty glare and seemed to shout, "Yes. Question for you then, which would hurt worse, me kicking you in the face or punching you in the stomach, because I want to do both right now." Tony made a pained face and laughed, "Ouch, neither would be great, but I think the punch to the gut would be good after all you don't want to mar my perfect face right?"

Tony was being cheeky and Steve walked around to counter to where Tony sat still and said, "Actually I do want to hit it." Tony laughed knowing that Steve could threaten, but he wouldn't do it, "So you admit my face is perfect." Steve's face became flushed a little more, turning a pink, but Tony was curious. Well, curiosity killed the cat, but curiosity was gonna kill the Tony in a second if he didn't stop treading on Steve's bad side as the man made a fist and held it to shoulder height. That was a sure sign of aggression, but he couldn't stop himself from just pushing the man a little further. "When did I say that?" asked Steve and Tony replied back cheekily, "It's implied, because you didn't deny it."

Steve seemed to put his closed fist back down and breathed out slowly, yes, Steve was trying to quell his anger. It was a good sign that the man wouldn't get angry again too quickly, and that was good sign for the billionaire who really couldn't keep his mouth shut. "I think I'll allow you to hit me," said Tony with a smirk and that seemed to confuse the hell out of Steve. "What?" asked Steve with a suspicious look and the brunette gave a sly sneer as he continued, "as long as you hit your lips with mine softly." The blonde paused for a moment to actually understand what Tony had said, and he couldn't help a large smile that burst out laughing. "What in the world!" exclaimed the blonde through sporadic breaths and it made Tony laugh too.

As he had said before, Steve's laughter was indeed contagious because every time one of them stopped laughing, one of them would give the other a look that would prolong the laughter even longer. Steve was actually trying to hide the laughter by looking away from Tony which eventually worked when they both stopped laughing. "Is that what people call 'pickup lines' now?" asked the blonde with a still amused look and the billionaire smiled as well. "Look at that, I taught you firsthand what a pick up line of the present sounds like," Tony said with an accomplished look and Steve let out another small chuckle, "was that classified as a good one?" Tony made a huff of a laugh and said, "No, that was just a funny one." Steve nodded and replied, "Good, probably the first thing about the present that hasn't changed from the past."

"What? The pickup lines?" asked Tony with another chuckle, he pictured his father trying to woo some woman with a bad pickup line for some reason. "Yep, they really haven't changed, back then though, most of them were sweet rather than direct," Steve lamented and Tony was curious, "Like what? Let me hear one then." Steve looked a little pissed, but he seemed to be thinking hard and said, "If kisses were snowflakes, I'd send you a blizzard."

Tony made a funny face at the line, wow that was cheesy, "Hmmm….Hey are your pants on sale, because at my place they are 100% off." Steve's face glowed a little pinker and a laugh erupted from the man.

"Yep, definitely a difference. Guess what I am wearing right now? The smile you gave me," the brunette smiled and said, "Ah, that's so cute that I might throw up. Here's one, do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?"

Steve laughed loudly, "That's pretty good, hey can I borrow a kiss I promise I will bring it back."

Tony's lips went upward trying to hold back a smile, "I'll treat you like my homework: slam you on a table and do you all night long'."

He watched with amusement as Steve's face lit up bright red and he put on a determined face and said, "'If I received a nickel for every time I saw a person as beautiful as you, I'd have 5 cents."

Tony pursed his lips at it and then smiled, "

That one got Steve pretty good that made Tony continue, "On a scale of one to America, how free are you tonight?"

Now Captain America was officially dying from laughter as he collapsed to the floor trembling and hitting the floor trying to quell it and Tony joined him in his laughter again. He really couldn't help it if the guy was charismatic, and to think that he thought Steve was cold hearted. Here was that so-called cold hearted man, on the floor, laughing so hard his face was red from pickup lines of all things. In fact, Tony would even say that Steve was freaking adorable laughing like a mess on the floor, also hilarious because he looked like he was about to start pounding the floor.

Eventually, he calmed himself down, the blonde finally regaining his breath and his composure as he stood up again. He dusted himself off even though there was no dust actually on the floor, and walked over to the window. The sunlight was there still, but the clouds were foreshadowing some darker storms yet to come. "Looks like it's going to storm today. It's good thing then that we will be inside. So when do you want to start?" Steve asked and the billionaire knew what he was referring to, it was the blonde's favorite topic. It was plain to see from the sparkle in his eyes when he said it, the way his smile seemed to get slightly wider and especially the eagerness that his voice could not hide.

The brunette could help but comply what he knew the blonde wanted, "Sure, why not start now, and if anything, a suit like this is perfect for dancing. Plus, the water has already dried on my pants." He saw the Captain duck his head slightly and snicker at Tony's last comment, so the brunette stood up with a big smile. He jumped upward, because he was short and hooked his arm around Steve's thick neck muscles and forcibly lowered the man to his level which was about 4-6 inches shorter at least. He grabbed his arm putting the man in a headlock that had him leaning downward as he smiled evilly, I am going to get you back for that you know." Blue eyes looked surprisingly at him and he laughed with that charming smile as he responded, "of course."

"Head back Tony! Go with the music, let it carry you away. This dance is a flow Tony, like a river, be a river Tony," the blonde said with chuckle as he watched Tony shadow dance, which was basically dancing alone. The billionaire glared at him looking pissed and Captain America smiled back at him and said, "Come on Tony, I know you can do it!" Tony wanted to make a sound against that remark, but he didn't, in truth, he was glad he was shadow dancing instead of dancing with Steve. He had noticed that when they were stretching his eyes would follow Steve, it was probably because he was more conscious of him or maybe a bit of shock was seeping in that Steve was actually more than he appeared.

Before last night, he would've said that Steve was a golden boy, he would've said that Steve was probably treated to sweet life and the American dream. He would've said he was a stickler to rules who was stuck up and only caring about others when it was convenient, but it was different now. Tony couldn't say anything like that now, not a single word would've been true about it. That conversation last night had turned everything Tony knew about Steve upside down and 90 degree turn again. That's why his eyes could not leave his form, last night he had seemed so sad, so lonely, so genuinely vulnerable, that Tony couldn't ignore him anymore. The brunette made a pout with his face and answered, "but Cap, it's hard to get the hang of it without a partner. Mind being my partner? I just get the hang of it more with you."

Tony was being truthful, he could memorize things more with Steve, but the blonde had pointed out in an earlier lesson that he needed to know how to lead with women because they were very different in physique compared to him. It was true, Steve didn't resemble any women that would be at the party with a body like that, but he needed the moves. Plus, Tony needed to stop running away from being near Steve, and of course, honest Steve had no clue about social cues. He probably hadn't noticed him getting jittery every time they got near each other today or the fact that Tony actually felt embarrassed about last night. He actually felt guiltier that he got Steve drunk and let the man spill his secrets without being able to stop himself.

That guilt and his knowledge was making him feel a little regretful but at the same time powerful, knowledge was power after all. Steve agreed to his request to dance with him, the man unfazed by the request as though he had guessed he would ask for that. Tony was thankful that Steve was taller than him for once, because it meant that when they danced their groins wouldn't be pushed against each other in an uncomfortable way. Tony reached for the lead role's hand positions, and the brunette would be lying if he said that the power he held over Steve was definitely motivating him to learn the dance faster. He practically controlled Steve's movements, maybe the blonde was just a perfect partner, but that was because Tony had never danced the waltz with anyone else. Maybe…, he didn't really know for sure, but all he needed to know was that dancing with Steve was something he liked.

When Tony started to get a hang of the rhythm more, the dance became more natural and he reveled in the praise Steve gave him for that. He felt himself swell with pride and smile as he swung another turn perfectly, but he tried not to spoil the moment with words as he felt their bodies in sync. Even when he had danced the salsa with people he never felt this connected to someone, he never enjoyed it as much as he did right now. Tony guessed the waltz was meant to conjoin people in a perfect sync, meant to feel like dancing on clouds. To soft a step and you will falter, too strong a step and you break the cloud, it was a balance of both strength and gentleness. It was challenging to get it down, but by the smile on the other man's face as they swung another turn without a hitch, he was sure he was doing pretty well though.

Tony felt his stomach flutter, he wanted to show Steve and Pepper that he could do this. The brunette wanted to impress Steve with all his heart, he wanted more chances to dance like this and for a few more turns he felt transported. Transported into a world where he was dancing on clouds perfectly, every step making his heart flutter slightly in panic. The salsa he had learned as a child with its strong moves and show of dominance and emotion couldn't even begin to be comparable to such a vastly different feeling of flying on clouds. He understood Steve even more now, his soft temperament and his long waiting patience for this feeling, they were instilled with this dance. The salsa had given the billionaire a sense of passion, fast to anger, but also a long waiting patience to get what he wanted.

They separated when the dance was over and the feeling was gone and Tony felt longing to dance again like that. The feeling was addicting. "What did you see?" asked Steve with understanding eyes and a smile, and Tony muttered, "Clouds, like dancing on clouds." The blonde smiled and laughed saying, "I told you that you would love it." Tony felt his blood pounding in his ears, it was like a roar and he felt hotter. It was the adrenaline rush after dancing and he felt himself smile at Steve, "Holy shit, I get it now." The blonde made a disapproving face and replied, "Language Tony." That was when the brunette got a great idea, he grabbed the pale man by his upper arms and looked at him and asked, "Hey have you ever salsa danced Cap?"

There was a shocked and confused arch of the blonde man's brow as he replied, "No, I haven't. What is it?" Tony felt himself smirk darkly and he chuckled, wow, Steve didn't know anything about salsa dancing at all. Oh, this would be fun for sure. "Do you know anything about it at all?" asked Tony and Steve seemed to bristle up and try to get out of Tony's grip. He smiled nervously and laughed, "Tony I don't like the look you are giving me." The brunette noted that he was indeed giving a dark look the man's way so he smiled and laughed, "Oh lighten up Cap. It's a dance similar to the dance we saw at a club a few weeks ago that was quote on quote, bumping and grinding like animals." The blonde's face brightened and he sputtered, "I didn't say it quite like that. It's a more accurate statement though and you would know more about it than I would."

"Of course I would, it probably actually came from how salsa moves are like, well maybe," Tony said, he didn't know for sure, but he could guess that club dancing originated from some classical dance or something. "Anyways," he said brushing off the fact that he really didn't know, "Salsa is basically a dance where your hips shake to a beat, but your upper body stays unmoving." Steve looked confused by the explanation so Tony needed to show him what he meant, so he stepped away from him and closed his eyes. He was going to shadow dance, and he imagined a partner to dance with, the thought up woman was always different every time. This time was a raven haired woman with short hair wearing a hot red dress, her dark skin illuminated by the light, her hair and dress making the contrast look very appealing.

Tony hadn't done the salsa for a long time, but his heart and soul could remember the beat from anywhere. The beat was his soul, he had always been taught to imagine the music wrapping around his hips and legs. To feel the beat in his appendages and to move in time, he did spins with the made up woman, shimmies to rolls. At one point he even felt himself lifting the imaginary woman, his routine had no pattern but at the same time it was the will of the music. Tony had no control of that, it was ingrained in his heart as he danced, each sound of the beat making a song that told a story. A story of love pain and redemption, all of the dance moves were like fire on his body, fast, furious and in motion. It was nothing like dancing on clouds, this was like dancing upon rocks in a lava pit, a path, a bridge, a narrow line that was thrilling.

Finally, his dance routine was done, Tony's vision of the woman faded as he breathed in and out. He looked upward and turned his head to find Steve staring at him with a smile. "What? Were my moves that impressive Cap? Do you feel a sense of defeat perhaps?" asked Tony as he walked to where he was, a little pissed that his proud moment was ruined by the height difference as he stood in front of the Captain. "You really love the salsa," the words were simple and Tony just responded promptly, "and you love the waltz." There was a weird silence and Steve broke it, "That was a million times better than the 'club' dancing I saw earlier." Tony nodded with confidence, "I would hope so, kids nowadays don't understand the meaning of hard work even when it comes to dancing. You's think they would put more time into it, Footloose taught people that I thought."

"Footloose?" asked Steve and Tony felt his heart drop and his mind roar, "Okay Cap, grab your things and come downstairs." The blonde stared at him confused and blankly said, "What? Are we going out to eat again?" The billionaire brushed it off and said, "No, come in your pajamas or something and get downstairs to the home theatre. We are not going to let you go down this path Cap! Not seeing the movie Footloose is like not choosing Team Edward or Team Jacob...I'm not gonna clarify that statement because the movie it comes from is terrible! Point is, you need to see Footloose if your a dancer, just like every kid should see Mean Girls when they get to high school...Jarvis, add that to a new list called 'Movies Cap needs to see'. Oh, also add the Breakfast club!" Steve didn't know what was happening, but he picked up his stuff and put it in his room.

Tony said to bring comfy stuff via Jarvis, so against his better judgment he dressed as he did for bed and went downstairs only to have Tony start laughing. "What's wrong with this?" asked Steve which made Tony laugh even harder into the theatre chair's armrest. "He has fucking fluffy husky slippers," Tony rasped to himself through his laughs and Steve flushed as the laughing continued with, "and-and a freaking dalmatian stuffed animal!" The blonde sat down angrily in the comfy chair and said, "Well, you are half naked! You said bring comfy stuff!" The brunette finally stopped laughing and came out from hiding in the chair's arm rest and chuckled, "Cap, I am comfy being naked anywhere. Be lucky I put on shorts, unless you wanted to see more, because it seemed you were staring earlier when you came in anyway."

Steve felt his face burn red because it was true, he had stared at Tony a good while through the window before walking in. He couldn't help the fact that his eyes were drawn to the man's very open body, the very very tan muscular body with one very eye catching arc reactor glowing. That made him think about something, "how are we going to watch the movie when your arc reactor glows?" The question caught Tony off guard as he looked down at his reactor and said, "Not a problem. I have a custom made shirt for it." The blonde felt confused as Tony stood up and pulled out a black article of clothing and pulled it over his head, it had looked like a tanktop, but turned out to be like a half T-shirt. "What is that?" asked Steve as he stared unabashed at the clothing style, he had seen one or two before.

The brunette looked down at it and then back up again, "You've never seen a crop top? I know they are kinda an old clothing item, but geez I-" "I've seen them I just didn't know what they were called," Steve interrupted and the billionaire shrugged and smirked, "Now you have. Mine has extra fabric right over my reactor so it hides any light from it. Very useful for movie theatres among,..among other things." Steve flushed again at the innuendos and said in a warning tone, "Tony." The man put his hands up in surrender, "Oh look. You are picking up on my innuendos Cap. You are leveling up now to a semi-modern person." Steve gave him a look as he sat down with a sigh, "No, I think it would be leveling down Tony." The brunette chuckled at that and spoke, "or is it?" The captain rolled his eye as and said in a tired voice, "Just play the movie Tony."

Steve was watching the movie Footloose, and it seemed to be really good honestly. He didn't want to admit that he liked it because of his pride, but Tony was really right, it was a great movie. Steve shivered in his silky t-shirt and shorts, he didn't want to say he was cold because if he said so then Tony would turn up the temperature which would make Tony hot in his um...crop top, yeah, crop top. He knew that the brunette would refuse to take it off and probably sweat to death and that is why Steve refused to say he was cold.

After the movie ended, they started up the one called "Mean Girls", Tony throughout the movie was explaining any words that completely flew over Steve's head which taught him a lot about modern girls even if Tony explained it wasn't real situations. To be honest, the blonde was glad he actually got one of the jokes in the movie, he felt proud. Well, he got more than one of them, and his favorite was the quote, "you don't even go to this school!" There was more to that quote, but its a secret unless you've seen the movie. Tony was laughing so hard he was crying and Steve knew he wasn't doing much better. After "Mean Girls" they had another round of ballistic laughter as they tried to explain their favorite parts to each other.

The blonde noticed that he had started doing something lately as his eyes always seemed to stare at Tony's chest where his arc reactor was. He was remembering the night before when Tony told him that the arc was his nightmare fuel, then he remembered something else. "Umm...Tony, do you remember last night?" Steve asked quietly and the billionaire stilled, "yeah, do you?" The blonde nodded and then pressed on, "You remember your promises to me at all, the first one that night on the elevator?" The brunette paused and said after a moment, "You know Cap, when I am drunk I tend to have some missing memories like most other mortal beings so please tell me what promise I am supposed to keep."

"You said that if I told you my nightmares that you would let me touch your arc reactor," Steve whispered as he sat up in his chair and looked at Tony who seemed to be blushing a little as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "I did, didn't I?" Tony said with a face palm to his head, and he sighed, "Alright Cap. I don't know why you want to see it so badly though." The billionaire lifted up his black crop top by his hands and held it upward and walked to the Captain with a face hidden by cloth. Steve's eyes were wholly on the sweet blue luminescent glow that was around the tan chest, the skin moved surgically to try and look smooth but failed and probably became more apparent because of it. The blonde's hands reached out to touch the small bright object, he wanted to trail his fingers on it, feel if there was any resemblance to heart that was unseen like a beating sound.

He almost had touched it before he stopped abruptly, getting a brief flashback of his painful revealing of memories and he pulled back his hand. He saw Tony pull the top down slightly so he could see, "You said you wanted to touch it. Are you scared of it now or something Cap?" There was some hurt laced in his voice, the blonde heard it and shook his head and spoke honestly, "No, I think it is wonderful, I just know that I have no right to touch it." The brunette's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What are you talking about? I promised you could touch it." The question was rightfully asked and Steve didn't know quite how to explain it, but he would try, "I know you promised me, but...I don't think you want me to at all. I think you are forcing yourself to...be true on your promise, but I think that it isn't right to force you to open up before you are ready. Besides, I think you and I both know who probably suffers more from their nightmares."

It was silent after that and Steve made an alarmed face as Tony made a dark one, Steve panicked, "Wai-wait a minute, it wasn't supposed to come out like that Tony! I can' explain exactly, but I just feel unworthy t-to touch you, or rather your heart. I would just.." Steve paused as he felt his heart beat silently, the rest of the words coming out in his mind, 'I would just taint it.I would ruin something else beautiful in this world again, like Peggy and Bucky's lives.' The blonde felt himself feel sick as he looked down at the red carpeted floor and shuddered, he felt pain in his sides. He felt the abuse of his body again and heard his mother's voice in his heard reinforcing it all, 'You ruined my relationships, you ruined my life, what else are going to ruin now that you talk to other people?' "Hey, you alright there Cap?" asked Tony, concern was in his voice, Steve had been quiet for too long.

The blonde looked upward and the billionaire swore he was paler than he was earlier, and he seemed to be breathing a bit faster. "Hey, are you alright?" asked Tony, but he saw Steve shaking his head no, and the man started to tremble and breathe spasmodically. Tony's eyes grew wide as he reached out to the blonde to try and bring him back to the chair, he looked like he was going to pass out. "Hey Cap, let's sit down and talk okay?" asked Tony, his voice soft and trying to be hypnotic, it was working but only for a second before the Captain shook his head, "No, no-no-no, I can't, not...not here! No." Tony felt puzzled, "Let's go somewhere else and talk then, is that good enough?" The Captain bit his bottom lip and shook his head again, then looked away, he looked like he was about to cry. There was something strange about a man taller than you on the verge of tears, especially when he was so kind hearted, it made him want to know why he was about to cry!

"No...I can't stay here...not with you...bad-BAD things will happen if I stay, I'll-I'll end up..," That's wen the Captain started to cry and his hands held his ears and and head as he crouched downward a little and the tears took the man's breath away. He was hiccuping at this point and was about to fall to his knees when Tony said, "Shit." There was the sound of metal grinding and Steve looked up to see Tony using a small remote in both hands to give him iron man gloves. Steve's crying stilled as Tony came towards him, and he started to back up, he didn't want to touch Tony at all. The billionaire didn't like that reaction non too well as he made an angry growling looking mouth, "Steve, stay still!" The Captain paused at the sound of his name, a word that rarely came out of Stark's mouth, it threw him off so much that his whole body paused.

Tony grabbed him by the upper arm that made Steve's breath hitch and look down at his arm in fear, and Tony made an angry face and shouted, "What are you afraid of me now Cap?" Stev shouted back "No! It's not you, it's.." he felt he couldn't answer, the blonde felt that Tony would laugh at him or something. "So it's my arc reactor then? Or maybe the fact-" "No, it IS NOT your reactor!" Steve protested and then felled back into the wall behind him when Tony got close again and shouted, "WHAT IS IT THEN!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU AFRAID OF!?" Steve's eyes saw hurt and anger reflecting in Tony's dark brown ones. The taller male felt trapped and could only be silent, he could speak the truth and he couldn't tell a lie to him, so he chose silence.

Well, as silent as a grown man sobbing could be really, but the billionaire seemed to soften his face and sigh. He was piecing it together in his mind, Tony was a genius, but even geniuses had a hard time deducting what causes emotions. The only time he know Steve cried was when...when he remembered his life or rather things that haunted him and his past. Come on Tony, think man, think! What could be bothering him! He decided to try and ask more, "Hey Cap, is it because of something in your past bothering you?" He saw an instant reaction, a small heave of breath almost like a flinch and the brunette knew he was on the right track. "Cap, just tell me what you think you'll end up doing if you touch my reactor?" asked Tony softly, he had to reason with him, a lot of his therapists in the past have said that when someone is in a panic over something, it is best to reason with them.

"I'll...I-I can't Tony, I just can't that's it! Now let me leave!" Steve sounded more distressed slightly as he looked fearfully at the iron limbs. The billionaire breathed in and thought of patience, he needed patience, "Cap what will happen to me if you touch me? Do you think I will break?" The blonde was shaking his head, and his breathing start to wane back, "No, you'll be...If I touch you anymore then I have then you'll...you'll...hate...me." Once again, Tony was puzzled, "why would I ever hate you? You have done nothing wrong." The blonde seemed to cry a little harder and Tony got a little more distressed and lifted his limbs to Steve's face but the man seemed wary of them, but the brunette noticed that the reaction was dulled and less confident. He slowly rested his palm on Steve's eye and tried to wipe the tears,"Hey, don't cry now Cap. I need to know why you are crying. If it's about anything from your past it's okay. It's not your fault."

Those last 4 words seemed to do something when the blonde looked at him with glistening baby blues that were so innocent looking, "But..b-but!" Tony cut him off, "but nothing, you are not at fault for anything, not for Peggy, Buck or your family." Steve tried to say but again, but the shorter male wouldn't let him so Steve said, "but I'll taint you." The voice that whispered the words were soft and heartbreaking, Tony paused trying to process what Steve was trying to say. Then, Tony started to laugh loudly which startled the teared face of the blonde also the red faced as well. The brunette couldn't believe the tall guy was worrying about something a small as that and full on bawling about it. Whoever made him think about stuff like that to the point where he'd start a full blown panic attack was just saddening.

Steve was still looking at him in anger slightly and finally Tony could talk again, "You are way late to the party then, because do you not see how much abuse I put this body through every night? If you think you can taint me more than this I would laugh my ass off and give you my company." The tension and fast breathing from Steve slowed as he tried again to rebuke him, "But..." He got to say no more when Tony did something rather odd for his usual self. He walked one step forward and initiated the thing normal people called a 'hug'. Now, Tony had only given hugs to few people in the world sparingly and now Steve has joined their ranks. The blonde seemed to still himself and Tony worried that he had made it worse, but was glad he was wrong when Steve seemed to completely give in to the hug.

The taller man's whole body wrapping around Tony's existence into the warm chest, his ear on the man's chest listening to the sound of Cap's crazy heart. He heard the blonde start to break down and soothingly Tony hugged the Captain, saying, "See, I am still me and nothing is wrong." Those words seemed to make the avenger break down even more, there was crying tears and the billionaire even felt them soak his shirt, but he endured because he knew how tough it was. He had had Pepper and Brody, but Steve, Steve had had no one. No friends or family in this new century, he was lost and couldn't even escape it so he held it all in. It needed to escape somehow and Tony sighed out a breath, now he understood the strength needed to deal with someone who was on the brink of destruction. He couldn't mentally thank his two friends and Jarvis enough for helping him and caring as he whispered soft nothings in the blonde's ear.

Eventually Steve started to calm down, his vital signs all going to normal status, and soon they seperated from the hug. There were red bags under Steve's eyes and the blonde chuckled red faced from embarrassment, "I really need to stop crying in front of you Tony. I can't even blame it on alcohol this time either." Tony laughed and retracted his iron man gloves, the taller male seemed to be fine and making coherent messages. "It's fine. I already said I understand it," Tony said, not moving from his place near Steve and he said, "Do you wanna try again?" The blonde was confused until Tony pulled off his crop top and threw it to the floor. The brunette watched as those blue eyes lit up again, taken by the majestic glow, and the billionaire reached for Steve's hand.

Internally, Tony was screaming to himself that this was such an awkward thing especially when Steve was staring at him like that and the fact that they were both redder than the color of blood. The blonde's wrist was grabbed and pulled quickly to the Arc reactor, Tony flooding red as he felt Steve's hand against his sensitive untouched scar tissue, the fingers light and probing. The blonde looked entranced and happy touching Tony's metaphorical heart, while the billionaire was trying to hold back the warm fluttery feeling in his gut and the fast vital beating. "Man, this is awkward," Tony groaned and that snapped Steve to attention, who reached out for Tony's wrist and pulled it to his heart.

The warm beating heart, it was in Steve and it felt so real. It was alive and pulsing with energy, thumping drastically, and it was so different from Tony's 'heart'. He understood the taller male's ponderous look at his strange glowing heart, it was certainly one of a kind. "Okay, you're good for today," Tony remarked and there was a slight sad look but it went away and Steve removed his hand and said thank you. Both went their separate ways awkwardly after that, the silence was comfortable though and Tony knew it would disappear by the light of morning. "Jarvis, keep tabs on Cap's sleep patterns tonight okay?" Tony remarked as he started to go to bed, then paused and added, "Wake me up early tomorrow. I need to get him back for this morning."

"Yes sir," Jarvis remarked, which allowed time for Tony to go to sleep peacefully. He was so tired, but a smile appeared on his face nonetheless, he couldn't wait to think of all the things he could do to Steve in the morning as punishment for that damned ice bucket.

 _"Because payback's a bitch!"_

 ** _Okay guys, here's the deal._**

 ** _A) sexy revenge_**

 ** _B) very evil revenge_**

 ** _C) petty revenge_**

 ** _Choose one and tell me what prank would work for Tony. I want to see what you guys think. Man, I am tired. Thank you everyone who reads this and I hope everyone is enjoying where it is going~! Any thoughts let me know~ :) Thank you, till the next update~_**

~ **Aryes**


	5. Chapter 5: Can You Joke?

**Aryes: Hello everyone~ The results of the revenge poll is down below, I do hope you all enjoy it~ I have a new poll at the bottom, I hope someone at least answers it~ 3 chapters left after this~ :) hpe you all are enjoying it, this is a shorter chapter, but still a day~**

 **Enjoy~**

 **WARNING: Smut, porn noises, yaoi (male x male), revenge, swearing, angstish etc...**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel or the Avengers**

* * *

Step 4: Can You Joke?

The morning was unkind to all as Tony was woken by Jarvis's speaking, "Sir, Captain should wake up soon. You told me to wake you up earlier so you could have your revenge." The word revenge was a wake up call as he remembered yesterday morning, cold water and ice in his lap that jolted him from sleep. Ah yes, payback. Now, the real question was what should he do? It took him a few moments as he got dressed to narrow down the options, the decision was perfect though. He was going to embarrass the shit outta Cap all day long, but now he had to start with something that could be seen as accidental, that way when it progresses it will be funnier throughout the day.

That was when the first idea hit as he held his smart phone out and tried to retrieve some open tabs from last night and saw some unmistakably tagged porn sites on the top of his page. Tony had something of a ferral grin on as he almost plugged in his headphones, but not fully so that the sound would go through the speaker and not the headphones. He pulled up a boring video he had seen that had done nothing for him and turned it on. It was a man and a woman on the screen, but neither was really his type honestly, so at least he would not have to walk around with erection. This video barely did anything to him, but what would the sounds do to a poor little blonde virgin who was very much unactive in relationships.

Tony wondered as he entered the hallway towards the kitchen what Steve's reaction would be, would he instantly call him out on it or would he try to ignore it? The brunette was kinda curious as he stopped off at the kitchen to turn up the audio to full before checking himself in the mirror briefly. He brushed a few hairs, but was relatively agreeable, he looked like his normal charming self with his red T-shirt and black boxers on. The billionaire walked out of the bathroom in stride as he played the video and pretended to look at the screen. As soon as he walked in the kitchen though, no one was there so Tony paused his video and pulled out an earbud, "Jarvis, where is Steve now?" There was a moment of silence before a response, "He is currently coming down the hallway sir." Tony put the earbud back in but didn't press play this time. Instead he set his phone down by the fridge and went to pull out a cup and then poured some orange juice in a glass.

That was the moment the blonde stepped into the room, Tony glanced over at him when he entered. Steve looking sheepishly at him, almost shocked to see him as well. Tony raised an eyebrow as Steve tried to turn around. Last night came back like train of thought, and Tony sighed and said, "I am not mad about last night Cap." The blonde paused and looked back at him, "You're not?" Tony smirked and replied, "Not at all. If you feel embarrassed you could always just make me some sort of breakfast to eat." The blonde stood taller at the mention of food and walked toward the kitchen, stopping a decent space away before nodding, "What do you want?" Tony shrugged and asked with small smirk, "Well what are you making?"

Steve made an amused huffing sound and a single eyebrow lifted higher before he spoke, "how about biscuits and gravy?" Tony frowned and asked almost immediately, "Depends on how much sausage and pepper you put in it. I can't handle spicy foods." Steve walked around him to open the fridge and smiled a little, "What? Can your small body not handle a little kick in the morning?" The brunette felt as though he had been slapped, there was so much sass from Steve this morning! "Wow Cap you are being very sassy this morning," Tony commented with smirk and held back a laugh as Steve looked puzzled, so Tony clarified, "means you are being something along the lines of comediacally disobedient or difficult for fun." Steve nodded at that and just said, "Yeah, I guess I am today then."

Tony said nothing as he took his phone and his cup back to his seat and waited, he waited till Steve would be unable to move. It would be the moment he had something on the stove, because he would be unable to just walk away from it without food burning. As soon as the brunette heard that first sizzling hiss it was time put in operation revenge. Tony looked up from his seat to see a side view of Steve, it was a perfect view to see how the man would react to the sounds. The brunette casually looked at his phone and pretended to plug the headphones in for the first time, but left them off slightly as he pressed the play button and glanced upward. The first noise was a moan, a female moaning sound that was rather obnoxious sounding, but the reaction it got was instant.

The brunette watched the blonde with a quick glance up before the man could register where the noise came from. Steve's whole twitched at the noise, standing taller with wide eyes that Tony found amusing, and quickly he looked down at the video. He didn't remember everything in the video, but he remembered the louder parts and quickly glanced up after it reached another part less than 10 seconds later. This time the man moaned and the reaction was more subtle than the first as he saw Steve's face start to become rosy, and his head shrink a little into his shoulder trying to hide himself from the noise or something, but that wouldn't work.

'Seems like Steve is a bit of masochist to not say anything, or maybe he is just curious about it,' Tony started to think as a whole minute of this went on. The video was extremely short, only around 6 minutes, but the louder parts were really about to begin. The change in Steve was easy to spot, Tony gulped audible as his small glances upward were becoming more like long stares, and luckily Steve was avoiding looking at him. This was when Tony's problems really started, he quickly realized that watching a blonde super toned gorgeous man get embarrassed and aroused by porn audio was not exactly the best revenge for a childish prank. Tony knew around the time he felt himself harden a little that he had screwed himself over on this one.

The pure amusement he felt in the beginning had faded and every second that passed that point felt like a hot eternity. Tony learned some things from watching Steve, none very pure at all, but oh so valuable that Tony took mental notes. First was that Steve reacted stronger to the male moans, second, was that Steve started to tremble at some point a little, third, he was getting rougher with his movements on the food, fourth, he was intent on listening and the fifth, was that Steve's apron he wore couldn't hide his reaction to it at all. Tony mentally cursed his dirty self with coming up with this stupid plan, but he had to follow through, whether it was for curiosity or just to seem unsuspicious about it he didn't know. He planned on being cool and rolling with it until either Steve got done with the biscuits or the video ended.

There was only 2 minutes left and Tony swore those two minutes were hell to him, because Steve reacted to every little sound in some way that Tony was fully hard by the end of it for sure. When it ended finally Tony turned off the phone and spoke somewhat casually to Steve, "You almost done yet?" The blonde's face was red but he seemed calm overall which was strange, but not as strange as Steve's blue looking over and him smiling as he spoke, "Tony, your headphones weren't plugged you know?" Tony had been caught, his face even burned a little even though not plugging them in was his intention. Steve smirked and said, "You're lucky Tony, because I swear if you try to do that to me again I will bash my shield into your face and you won't be pretty to even look at."

Tony laughed a little, almost nervously as the blonde's eyes looked like they knew what he had been trying to do, "So you admit I have a pretty face now?" He really should have known better than to test a sassy and sexually frustrated Steve Rogers, because in an instant Steve took a spatula from the utensil holder and slapped the billionaire square in the face. The brunette felt rooted to the spot as he heard the other avenger speak, "Jarvis told me what you were going to do that Tony, also making a joke while I am rather stressed at the moment was just unwise. Please keep in mind that I had hot food here and could have thrown that instead."

The brunette couldn't help the small "Ha" that escaped him as he continued, "I knew that you knew! I thought it looked too staged, like a bad porn." Tony smiled in victory as he saw Steve blush a little for real this time as he looked over him to say, "Was I that bad at faking it?" It was a curious statement that made Tony love Cap's need to be better at things and to get better at things, it was what made him so honest and innocent. "Well," the brunette shrugged, "You did have me fooled, but around the three minute mark it was looking a bit fake, but you were actually aroused so that helped it become more natural. By the way, if you didn't know how to get rid of your probl-"

"Okay! I am fine now. Everything is fine and the biscuits and gravy is almost done, next time please don't play those types of videos when I am cooking. It's dangerous!" Steve was back to regular old Steve now and Tony could help but add, "Yeah, I bet it's dangerous indeed. You look like a decently heavy we-" "TONY!" Steve cut him off with a red vibrant face and a glare at him, but he could tell it was not going to get violent at all. He drank from his orange juice and said, "Jarvis, please don't tell Steve about my plan for revenge next time." The blonde made a mocking sound and then as Steve kinda stood there, watching the biscuits and gravy and ignoring the brunette, Tony said, " Cap, I thought that was going to be funnier, but I was wrong to do that when you were making food for us. I just wanted to embarrass you, you know, have a good laugh at your innocence."

He saw Steve visible stall his movements and without looking at Tony he replied, "You know I am not innocent Tony." The billionaire paused at the growled tone, it wasn't the evasive tone he usually used, it was angered. The brunette felt flash of guilt and tried to redeem himself, "Steve, you know I meant in terms of sexuality. Actually, in terms of embarrassment more over." He could see how that had appeased the bristled Captain down a little so Tony continued, "Just to remind you, you dumped freezing ice on my crotch, I could have frozen my nuts off!"

Steve made a sour face, "It would only serve you right for all the woman you have probably made cross over the years." Tony perked at that and said back, "Really now? All my partners have been satisfied with me and in fact they always beg for more." The blonde threw a plate down in front of him and replied with a straight face, "Maybe they couldn't get enough from you. Maybe you weren't emotionally connecting with them, since all your relationships are purely physical." Something snapped in Tony, he didn't know what word or phrase triggered him, maybe it was the harsh reality that he indeed detached himself when it came to getting close to someone.

"What would you know!" Tony shouted, even if the way the blonde had said had been in actual curiosity, he was offended, far past it. The words mocking him especially since Steve had said them, "You've never been in a real relationships! All of yours have been shit so far so who are you to be giving advice!" The words were spat out face and the paler man seemed in shock and taken aback by the brunette's pure spit fire words. They hurt and he continued, the hurt wrenching itself in his heart, "You never even really loved anyone! You wanna know why Steve?" The question was rhetorical, because the billionaire wanted to answer it himself as he stepped up to the paler man, the other backing up against a counter. Tony's voice raised even louder and Steve tried to speak, but Tony glared at him and cut him off with more words, "Because we aren't capable of love! We were grown up by heartless people in a cruel world that is reality! It's the hard truth, just like the fact that everyone in the past you ever had a connection to died!"

The billionaire watched as Captain America's whole body seemed jolt, his chest heaving deeply and Tony couldn't stop himself now, "I don't want to be attached to people who DISAPPEAR!" It was last word that echoed around the silent room, the smaller man clapped a hand over his mouth as he realized exactly what he had said, "Steve." He said the words softly and came closer, but Steve jolted, not even with the soothing way that the billionaire said his name could stop this oncoming emotional turn table. He had his head, the blonde's chest heaving and his grip on the countertop edge cracking underneath the pressure. "Don't touch me," the words left the blonde's mouth and they cracked at Tony's heart.

His brown eyes widened in fear, all his work to get closer to the blonde and to be able to dance, it was slipping away. Then, the blonde looked up at him, a pale hand covering his eyes, but there were streaks now being painted by salty tears. Then, the large hand on his eyes slid upward through his hair, the pale face now a redder version of it's original look. Those eyes weren't crying now, but they were watery as he spoke, "I think...I think you have a chance." The words were hard to understand, but Tony widened his eyes as Steve continued, "I know that I...that after everything I've seen, I don't think it's possible...for me to love anyone...I don't have the right, but you are different...you can still love, i've seen it...You may not have a heart, but you..you really are a better human than anyone with a heart and just as good. I believe that with my whole heart."

The smaller male stared emptily in silence as he stilled in time, his eyes watching as this beautiful Avenger, a hero of the world, say that he didn't deserve happiness. Tony's words had hit the blonde deeply and apparently Steve's self pity was ingrained into him. It was apparent to the billionaire that he had done something terribly wrong, in fact it was morally wrong. "Steve," he tried again to reach out to the blonde to do something, anything at this point, but the taller male flinched and shouted quickly, "No!" Tony jumped at the urgent yell and the fear in his eyes, and he tried again, more determined and once again Steve yelled once more, "No! Don't touch me Tony! I am bad!" The brunette caught a hold of one of his wrists and squeezed it gently, and the blonde's shouts stopped as Tony whispered, his head hitting softly against the front of the blonde's apron, "I didn't mean it Cap. I overreacted to your question, and all those things I said were just me being angry and you were here to take it out on. I am sorry." There was silence and Tony wondered if Captain America would push him away, but he heard the whisper from above, "You weren't really wrong about what you said though."

Tony lifted his head and felt the previous guilt that was stabbing him wrench and twist when he saw the blonde's mouth smile the saddest smile he had ever seen. Tony actually felt his eyes start to water slightly and he stepped back from the blonde and saw the fear that was in taller man's eyes. A man who always blamed himself when things went wrong, believing he was always responsible. Tony closed his fists and then anger flashed in his eyes as he whipped his hand right across Steve's cheek. There was a resounding slap that echoed through the room, the sound followed by a shuddering breath by Steve, his head whipped to the left, his eyes widened in shock as he heard Tony shout, "Goddammit Steve! Stop pitying yourself! You aren't in that situation anymore! You are here now! You are in the 21st century where things have changed and people are always changing! You can't blame yourself for every damn thing!"

Bright baby blues looked at him and Steve was flushed slightly, cupping the side of cheek that had been hit. Tony glared at him until he heard Steve mutter something softly, and Tony snaps back with, "What did you say?" The blonde's eyebrows creased in anger and he looked back at the billionaire with an equally blazing look, "You do the same damn thing Tony! Don't act as if you don't either, because I know you do the same thing. Is it such a bad thing to want to blame myself and not others! I WANT TO SEE THE GOOD IN EVERY ONE, BUT HOW CAN I DO THAT WHEN I START BLAMING THEM FOR THINGS THAT THEY CAN'T CONTROL!"

"YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT EITHER STEVE! YOU CAN'T MAKE TIME STOP TILL YOU SAVE THE DAY! THINGS HAPPEN AND SOMETIMES THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!" the brunette shouted as he pushed forward till he was at Cap's neck, his hand now buried in his apron. Steve growled at that and shouted brokenly at him, "I HAVE TO TRY. I just have to... I can save so many people, but..." Steve grabbed Tony's short and he put his head downward and he gasped in an obvious held back sob, "I can never save the people I really love...They always end up dead or in pain...always." Tony let his grip go on the apron and in an instant was hugging Steve in a tight hug, he felt the blonde stiffen under the touch.

Even the billionaire was tense, in fact the air of the situation was tense, but the cold skin of Steve becoming warm because of him was distracting him. "You have us now and we don't die very easy you know," the smaller male said with a small chuckle as he heard a small one from Steve who now had relaxed into the hug. "Tony," the taller man spoke, but his voice muffled by their hug, "hmmm?" There was a moment of silence before the blonde completed his thoughts, "I'm sorry." Tony stilled himself and his breath caught, Steve's grip becoming tighter around him. Those simple words held so many meanings and yet was so vague on which it addressed, was he sorry about his attitude? Sorry about his life? Sorry about doubting the Avengers even? So many different meanings, but the brunette could only guess he meant them all so he replied, "Yeah, you better be."

He felt Steve squeeze him painfully and he yelped at the sudden attack, "Woah! What the hell?!" Steve only replied, "You're the one who started this with your weird prank!" Tony said with a scowl in a monotone voice, "Cap, I could have had frostbite on my nuts!" Steve and Tony seperated but he saw an inkling of a smile upon his face, "Wipe that smile off your face, I would be devastated if I was unable to have sex!" Steve raised his eyebrows and said, "Really, I guess I am greater than the great Tony Stark then, because I can live without it." Tony got a shocked look on his face and sputtered, "You've never even jacked off th-" "-I HAVE! That doesn't count as sex though...does it?" Cap asked with a red face and Tony snorted.

"It doesn't, I mean you do still have your two virginities then you haven't really had sex," Tony commented leaning back unto the counter and Steve looked confused, "Two? I thought t-WAIT DON"T TELL! I KNOW THAT LOOK TONY! I don't want to know! Forget I aske-" "Well one is lost in the front and the other in th-" Tony started only to ber cut off by an embarrassed Steve he knew, "SHUT UP TONY! I don't need to hear it!" The taller male reaching up to cover his ears but the shorter male grabbed at them and said, "Really Cap, you should listen to me give the birds and bees to you. I bet your parents never told you about anything either."

"Why are we talking about birds or bees? Is that a sexual innuendo I don't know?" Steve seemed generally panicked and the brunette smirked, this was his chance to prank Steve. "Well, it's a discussion we have with kids when they reach an age of maturity and basically explaining how sex works and answering any questions," Steve flushed a little and said a little in awe, "Really? Back when I was growing up it was taboo to even talk about. I guess it's really different now." Tony scoffed, "Yeah that's an understatement of the century in the most literal sense!" The brunette's eyes stayed stuck on the blonde's face which was growing redder by the second.

"So," Tony trailed off slightly which caught Steve's attention again as those blue eyes landed on him. "Got any questions then? Or maybe you want the bird and bees from Jarvis?" Tony asked with a small laugh, but was completely thrown off when Steve nodded. "Wait, do you have a question or are you wanting the bird and bees talk from Jarvis?" The blonde stood up and said in embarrassment, "Nevermind, it was a stupid question anyway!" The pale man started to walk away, and Tony started to panic in an instant and quoted something he knew from his own teachers, "No question is a stupid question." Steve paused at the doorway and slowly put a hand on the doorframe and leaned into it, never looking back, but Tony heard him mutter regardless, "This is embarrassing..."

"Hey, could be worse," the brunette pointed out with a chuckle, and Steve sighed audibly. There was a moment of silence ensued as the billionaire waited for some question to come which eventually it did, "Does it hurt?" Tony paused for only a second before he was truthful, "Well it depends on if your talking about having sex with men or women. Which are you referring to?" Truthfully, Tony was ready for Steve to run away from asking like he usually tried to do, but to his surprise, the taller man lingered in the doorway. Those pale ears turned cherry pink though as spoke, still facing away from the billionaire, "Men." The brunette couldn't help a smirk growing on his face a little though he couldn't tell you exactly why. Maybe because he just knew that Steve would ask him about it eventually.

He stood up from his slouched position against the counter, his eyes instantly watching Steve straighten up at the noise, but he didn't turn around from his position. The billlionaire licked his lips, revenge could still be taken upon Steve, he had thought this morning that he had screwed up his chance for revenge, but he had been on the right track. The only reason it had really failed was because it had been planned, but maybe that was the problem. It needed to improvisation, his words affected Steve whether or not the pale man wished to admit or not. His eyes roved the pale neck and those pink ears, his innocent reactions to suggestive words were indeed very tempting, even the tanner man could admit that.

"Depends," he said and saw a small flinch in the man's grip on the doorframe, the blonde probably surprised from how close his voice was now. "on whether you plan to take control and lead them to the best place they can be, or are you willing to let go of your control and completely entrust your partner with your heart entirely." Tony couldn't help the way his voice became scratchier as his tanned hand reached up to grasp at Steve's on the doorframe, his fingers intertwining with those pale ones to create an alluring sight. The blonde 's breath seemed to become deeper and now as Tony drew closer he could see Steve's cheeks were enflamed.

Tony gulped a little at the sight, feeling parched slightly as his brown eyes met with beautiful blue eyes, eyes that seemed to be the water he needed. His voice continued a little raspy, but the effect it had was hard to ignore. "Which would you be then Captain?" Tony prodded oh so sweetly and watched as the Captain bite his lip and hid himself slightly as his free hand dug itself into his hair, his gears obviously turning. The brunette guessed since Steve was a Captain he might want to lead someone, but he was equally a solider as well so perhaps following orders was what he wanted. At the moment, it was an interesting debate that Tony wished to know the answer of. Those blue eyes flickering back to Tony, resolution in them unlike any other time before, fear mixed into those determined eyes as he spoke, "I-". That was when there was a sound of the elevator happened to ding and the two quickly separated within an instant, their heads swiveling as Barton waltzed out of the elevator.

Clint Barton turned and smiled at Steve then smirked as he turned to Stark, "Well, shoot me in the eye. The vampire is awake in the morning for a second time this week, really Steve I think your food may work miracles." Tony grimaced and scowled in anger at the man as he strolled up them and it took everything he had not to choke him. Internally he was screaming, he had been so close to Cap, so close to finally cracking that armor he had with everyone near him. So damn close to getting Steve to even admit to him something personal, and then Barton had to come back.

Tony sighed and decided to leave his training today, his heart wasn't in it if Barton was around, but even the thought of Hawkeye snooping around was enough to enrage him. "I'm going back to my lab. Jarvis, don't let Hawkeye in no matter what," he said, but he couldn't help as his eyes slid to the Captain who met his gaze, even though Clint was shouting at him, his eyes stayed locked on those baby blues that shone with an odd look and a sad smile. "-eve allowed in but not me! Are you salty about breakfast a few days ago?" Clint finished and Tony scoffed, "Like I remember anything you say after 24 hours. It's usually only garbage anyway."

Clint raised an eyebrow at Tony before saying, "Hey Captain, Stark's being rude again." It almost sounded like he was tattling on him, but Captain seemed to be in his own world with his eyebrows creased in a posture that looked like a standing version of "The Thinker". Clint seemed to be surprised by the change, but not Tony, it was a usual occurrence actually. It was the stance he took when he tries to figure something out, "What's wrong?" Barton asked and Steve seemed to snap his head and asked, "Why did you say Tony was salty?" Both brunettes lost it when the paler man asked such a thing with a innocent studious face, but the billionaire was really glad he asked it.

"I-" The tanner man started but was cut off by Barton quickly who finished it with his usual annoying way of cutting of other people's sentences, "It basically means he is still mad about something, kinda hard to deal with like salt rocks." There was a light that went on in the blonde's eyes as he understood finally, then the voice of Jarvis came on, "Mr. Rogers, should I save that in the file 'Modern Vocabulary' for later?" Steve smiled and responded with a prompt, "Yes please." The tanned man smirked looking at Barton with a winning look which confused the other man. The blonde turned to them both and commented, "I am going back to my quarters." Promptly when he said that, he turned to exit the room, but before he turned the corner, his blue eyes looked again in his direction, shining up with doubt as the disappeared.

After a minute or so, Clint asked unabashedly, "So what's going on with you and Rogers?" Tony knew Hawkeye would catch the odd details from their combined exchange. He smirked a little and leaned back, "Why should I tell you Barton? Why don't you mind your own damn business for once." Hawkeye whistled and held up his hands in a defensive gesture, his eyes looking in mirth, "Well, nevermind then. Who crapped in your cornflakes, Mr. Iron bucket?" Tony frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose and replied, "No, it was a hawk. A hawk who is a pain in my ass." The other male smirked at that, but said nothing more to Tony's remark. Instead he opted to raid the fridge, taking out some of Steve's breakfast from yesterday.

Tony didn't linger much longer since Clint had pretty much ruined his moment with Steve, he only took a cup of coffee before leaving to the lab. The walk to the lab was rather mindless, easily mappable, the whole time leaving the billionaire to wonder what the blonde would have said. The moment the lab door shut he shouted, "Jarvis, darken those windows, I dont want anyone peeking through any." The windows instantly darkened without a word from Jarvis and Tony felt angry rise up as he gently placed his coffee cup down on a counter and harshly grabbed a cube in the of his desk.

"Jarvis, open the target practice simulation in Room 1, I need to blow some steam," he said and once again he heard a click from a door being unlocked, but the AI remained completely wordless. Normally Tony would have worried about that, but at the moment he only wished to use his fury on something and he sure as hell wasn't going to destroy his lab equipment. He touched a single button on the cube and the small square started to transform his right hand into a familiar red and gold combination. It was an instant iron man hand and he needed to shoot some damn targets for sure.

Steve laid on his bed and stared upward, his face changing color as he made a high noise of embarrassment, "What have I done….I should have just stayed in bed today if this was how it was going to turn out." The blonde flipped on the bed and he got a shiver as he remembered the moment, Tony…was he really about to kiss him?! Steve made a noise of frustration, what was he to do about this situation, army time had never readied him for a situation like this, nothing could have prepared him for Howard's son, not even Howard. The tall male sat up only to flop to the other side of his bed, 'what am I gonna do about this? About Tony? The dancing?' the blonde felt overwhelmed in a sudden realization, but he just couldn't do it, he couldn't teach Tony if this was happening! Did he like Tony….in that way?

It wasn't the first time he had thought this, but he remembered seeing Tony for the first time, it was like seeing Howard in an instant, the resemblance uncanny. The moment Tony spoke though, that image of Howard was blown away, this man was carefree, a wild spirit, the thought alone was aweing, but with his looks, the mirth filled smirk and smarts, Steve felt his heart practically leap. This man was interesting, that was his thought, and it reminded him of his sexuality once more. Back then though, Steve had thought, 'there is no way a man like that will ever be a possibility.' Now though, with Tony giving him obvious signals, Steve had the fear that he was misinterpreting the whole situation, that this was Tony's nature to people who helped him.

The blonde felt something hollow in his stomach and he curled in on himself, it really hurt to think about it too much. Everything with Tony was hazy, especially since this whole dance thing, he had been having fun….maybe too much. He enjoyed Tony's company, the way he had something fun to say, the way he could worm his way into the coldest heart if he tried. It was a charming trait for a charming man, and the fact that he had been so nice to Steve, it was almost scary how fast their relationship had changed. Steve then got a thought that made him feel sick, 'what if Tony was only doing this until he learned to waltz, that all that opening up and sharing old painful memories was how Tony got to people and made that connection.'

Steve didn't want to believe that, with all his heart he didn't, but that part of him deep down that knew how cruel the world can be clutched at the thought like a lifeline. Steve couldn't bear this anymore…he wanted everything to stop being this way, and like a child he wanted to flail and scream, but as an adult, he knew it wouldn't solve anything in the slightest. What was the point in trying anymore….he wasn't allowed to go on missions for the moment, because of his sleeping problem, but he was fully awake right now. He felt fully awake in every sense of the word as his stomach felt hollowed…ah, he forgot his food didn't he? Even after going through all that hard work and now heartache….he didn't even get his food that he worked hard to make?

In a sudden lurch of strength he slammed his arm down on the bed with all his might, which wasn't the best judgement and simply another reason he didn't throw tantrums, as the bed made a mighty "crack" and busted beneath him. Steve only let out a surprised yell and fell on slight inches from the ground, still on the mattress, but rolled to the middle where the bedframe had cracked, holding the mattress at an angle. He simply sighed, his head felling back onto the curved mattress and he said with a monotone voice, "Jarvis, can you order me a new bed frame, and could you tell Tony there is no practice tonight?" There was silence before he heard the reply, "I have done both for you, I have billed it to the stark tower under a John Doe name, and I have let Mr. Stark know, anything else Captain Rogers?" the blonde was silent for a moment before saying, "Can you play the movie mean Girls again for me…?" Jarvis replied swiftly, "I will put on a movie playlist for you sir, along with some movie refreshments in the fridge behind you, along with ice cream in the freezer." "Thanks Jarvis," Steve replied and was answered with, "You are welcome."

" _Perhaps staying away is the best option?"_

"Wait! What do you mean we aren't dancing today? What's Steve doing?" asked Tony as he put down his gun, and Jarvis replied, "He is watching from his movie playlist that you compiled for him." The brunette gave a glare to the pop up image of Jarvis, "Great, I can't even be mad at him for skipping, but I wanted to at least talk about practice-" "STARK! WE GOT AN AVENGERS EMERGENCY! WE NEED YOU TO GET YOUR ASS D-" Fury cut in from his watch, but the brunette interrupted with "Get Thor to do it! Or Banner!" Tony was overshadowed by a "STARK! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, BECAUSE WE NEED YOU TO DECODE THIS MESSAGE FOR US, BECAUSE WE HAVE 24 HOURS OR SOME PEOPLE ARE GONNA DIE AND BANNER IS UNFINDABLE AT THE MOMENT SO I SUGGEST YOU GET YOUR RICH ASS DOWN HERE AND HELP US!"

Tony made an enraged face, "motherfucker" he whispered to himself, of all the times to get distracted by Fury! "Jarvis, add the harry potter series to Steve's list, If anyone asks, I am gone on a mission, and check on Steve's sleep pattern…if he sleeps." There was silence then a, "I understand sir, I will add the series and keep my checking systems on Captain Rogers." Tony nodded then found himself wondering about Steve again as he turned to get some necessary decoding supplies, his mind wandering back to Captain, Tony had always had a thing for blonde hair, male or female, but it looked best attached to Steve Rogers. He remembered as he came closer to the blonde, the way his skin, a pristine like white neck. Unmarred, untouched, sensitive, Tony growled at himself and got pissed, pushing that thought away, because of stupid Clint and his habit of coming into conversations at the absolute worst times! The brunette packed his shit into a bag along with a bag of coffee and went down to his lab to start the decoding process, it shouldn't take 24 hours, but it would be a great deal of work, and it was still the morning. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he put everything into a bag and made his way downstairs with his frustration evident.

" _What was he going to say?"_

* * *

 **Aryes: So guys, interesting development? Did you like your sexy revenge (slightly petty too because it's Tony). So here is the new questions~**

 **What should happen when Tony comes back from helping Fury and Steve is done with his movie playlist?**

 **a) Some jealousy from one of them talking to someone else having a good time?**

 **b) Someone propositions one of them in public and gets media attention**

 **c) Steve starts avoiding Steve in the weirdest ways possible, making every avenger a little pissed and amused**

 **d) Steve, to avoid Tony, goes on an adventure in town, while Tony snoops in Steve's room for curiosity sake and finds interesting items (its a secret)**

 **Well, here's the options, please choose your favorite ones~ That way I can have fun making the next chapter~ I love reviews~ Thank you so muchhhhh~~ Till next time~ 3 more chapters left~**

 **~Aryes**


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